belfast film festival

1st-9th APRIL 2020

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1 OUR FUNDERS INTRODUCTION

For more than 20 years we have celebrated the creativity, politics and joy film brings. We have witnessed with pride the growth of the indigenous filmmaking sector; hosted exciting ‘movie star’ guests; showcased brilliant international filmmaking talent; and shared thousands of diverse stories and cultures with you, our audience. Over the coming decade we will do it all again, re-energised and excited by the wealth of talent and love of film that surrounds us. Michele Devlin. Festival Director

From Belfast to the World When I grew up in Belfast, there was no film festival. I was passionate about movies, and visually hungry, but there was no annual event to feed my hunger. I went searching elsewhere, and have ended up working with some of the greatest ACCOMMODATION OFFICIAL MEDIA people in cinema – Tilda Swinton, Jane Fonda, Sean Connery, etc. – but I think back to the 70s and 80s and imagine what more we could have achieved as movie PARTNER PARTNERS lovers and makers if we’d had a film festival. Thankfully we’ve seen brilliant changes in our society since then. Peace has returned, new populations have moved to our city, and we now have world class film studios and programme makers. The quality of our lives has improved and our horizons have opened. Film is the great horizon-opener. Since its birth 20 years ago, the Belfast Film VENUE Festival has had a centrifugal imagination. It has helped open up our society. Its PARTNERS premieres, screenings, themes, discussions, panels and stardust have ardently challenged prejudice and myopia. It has been “From Belfast to the world”. For example, our 2019 Aamir Khan event was not only the biggest ever single gathering of our Indian citizens, but it talked about movies and social change. DRINKS TECHNICAL The festival’s great founders and team have put on such events despite many challenges: no city centre film festival venue, a small budget, and a population SPONSOR SUPPORT still overcoming decades of insularity. It’s been hard work, but what has kept them going is the belief in the universal language of cinema: its ludic, playful, truth telling. Some of the world’s cultural events are just about money, sponsors or stars. The Belfast Film Festival has a real story to tell. We’ve only told Act One of that story. What will happen as the story expands? We need your help to make our film festival one of the most dynamic and relevant SUPPORTED in the world. BY: Mark Cousins. Festival Chairperson

2 3 BFF Team 'The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture'. Alfred Hitchcock book tickets

Please Note: In Person:

When booking online or in person at Visit Visit Belfast Michele STEPHEN MARY LAURA SARA SHAUNA Devlin HACKETT LINDSAY MCKEOWN MORRISON MCNEILLY Belfast you will not receive a physical ticket. 9 Donegall Square North, director head of head of FINANCE/ADMIN INCLUSION & HEAD OF EVENTS You will receive a booking confirmation Belfast., BT1 5GJ programming marketing MANAGER AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT email with a link to your e-ticket. You can choose to print your tickets or download Monday to Saturday: your tickets to your smart phone. Please 9.00am to 5.30pm. consider saving paper by downloading your Sundays 11.00am to 4.00pm tickets.

At Festival Venues: Refunds: from half hour before screening or event time. The Belfast Film Festival can only refund STUART RebekahSTUART SLOAN SIMEON ROSE RICHARD amie SLOAN Davis COSTELLO BAKER DAVIS MARTIN money or exchange tickets for screenings MAYSLESASSISTANT ASSISTANT DIGITALDOCUMENTARYPROGRAMMER CONTENT BOX OFFICE SHORT FILM VOLUNTEER MARKETING that are cancelled. For more information on PROGRAMMER COORDINATORPROGRAMMER MANAGER PROGRAMMER MANAGER ASSISTANT the festival contact us on 02890325913 or Or Telephone: email: [email protected]

BOARD MEMBERS WEBSITE DESIGN +44 (0) 28 9024 6609

KEVIN JACKSON LADYGEEKGEEK BRIAN HENRY MARTIN www.facebook.com/BelfastFilmFestival LOUISE O MEARA MARK COUSINS Book Online: LAURENCE MCKEOWN LUCY BAXTER LISA BARROS D’SA @BelfastFilmFes1 LYNNE JASON NEIL YAN LIU www.belfastfilmfestival.org BENNINGTON MILLS JACQUES

PROGRAMME VENUE TECHNICIAN DESIGN MANAGER Belfastfilmfestival

Special Thanks I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of those who have worked with us over more than 20 years – individuals including Margaret McKernan, Carol Jackson, Laurence McKeown, Carl Von Ohsen, Marie-Therese FESTIVAL PASS *SPECIAL PRICE £48* McGivern, Mary Lyons, Sean Osborne and many others who, in the late 1990s, had the vision and brought the drive Our Address is: to the early years of WBFF. It’s our 20th year! As a birthday treat there is 20% off our usual festival pass price. For a bargain price of only £48 you can Thanks to the brilliant core staff team, Chairperson and Board of Directors, who are nothing short of a ‘dream Belfast Film Festival. enjoy 9 days of screenings in a variety of venues across the city team’; our freelance staff group for their professionalism and commitment; our hundreds of volunteers who have 23 Donegall Street, always brought great energy and diversity; our local filmmaking companies particularly the directors, writers and including the very best new cinema. As a pass holder for the producers who have celebrated their growth and success with us; all the venues, partner organisations, musicians, Belfast. BT1 2FF. 20th Belfast Film Festival you will be able to select and book artists and short filmmakers who have joined us on the journey; the national and international guests, films, sales Northern Ireland films in a few easy steps. and distribution companies we have collaborated with to deliver exciting and innovative film events; thank you to our sponsors and funders who have supported the development of Belfast Film Festival; and especially to the thousands of film lovers who make up our growing audience.Michele Devlin. Festival Director For General Information BOOK YOUR PASS AT WWW.BELFASTFILMFESTIVAL.ORG call us on: 028 90325913 4 5 Our Venues CONTENTS

BEANBAG CINEMA CRESCENT ARTS CENTRE 5 Exchange Place. 2-4 University Road, Belfast BT7 1NH Belfast BT5 2FF TEL: 028 9024 2338 TEL: 028 9032 5913 www.crescentarts.org PAGE 8 www.belfastfilmfestival.org OPENING/CLOSING PREMIERES

PAGE 12 NEW CINEMA

PAGE 30 ALTERED STATES THE BLACK BOX STRAND ARTS CENTRE Cathedral Quarter. 18-22 Hill Street. Belfast 152-154 Holywood Road. Belfast BT4 1NY PAGE 38 TALKING FILM BT1 2LA Box office: 028 9065 5830 TEL: 028 9024 4400 www.strandartscentre.com www.blackboxbelfast.com PAGE 48 SPECIAL EVENTS

PAGE 60 TV EYE

PAGE 68 REWIND ODEON BELFAST SONIC ARTS RESEARCH LAB 1 Victoria Square, Belfast BT1 4QG Cloreen Park PAGE 80 NI INDEPENDENTS Box office: 0333 014 4501 Belfast www.odeon.co.uk PAGE 84 SHORT FILM COMPETITION

PAGE 93 AT A GLANCE GUIDE

QUEEN'S FILM THEATRE if you have any SPECIFIC ACCESS 20 University Square. Belfast BT7 1PA requirements you would like Box office: 028 9097 1097 to discuss, just give us a call www.queensfilmtheatre.com on 028 9032 5913

6 7 Opening Night Gala Closing Night Gala

OUR LADIES black medicine odeon, victoria square. wednesday 1st APRIL. 7.00PM. £7.50 odeon, victoria square. thursday 9th APRIL. 7.00PM. £7.50

This infectious 1990s-set comedy drama finds six Catholic Jo, a black-market medic carries out illegal operations for the teenage choirgirls cutting loose in Edinburgh, in a loving criminal underworld. When she gives refuge to a young girl, Jo adaptation of Alan Warner’s novel The Sopranos. must choose between breaking her medical oath or crossing A pitch-perfect evocation of the possibilities and frustrations of being young and riotously alive in mid-90s her ruthless employers. Scotland, Our Ladies follows the teenage choirgirls of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour on a day trip from their port town in the Highlands to a singing competition in Edinburgh. Its focus is the rebellious gang Black Medicine stars Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Orla Brady, Amybeth McNulty, John Connors, and sitting at the back of the bus, who are less interested in the contest than furthering their own version of Lalor Roddy. a catholic education in the big city. Booze and boys feature heavily and hilariously, but this unvarnished Written and directed by Colum Eastwood, this is the eleventh film to come through Northern Ireland coming-of-age saga also ponders (without preachiness) sexuality, pregnancy, class difference and the Screen’s New Talent Focus scheme and was financed by Northern Ireland Screen and post-production tumultuous path of true friendship. house Yellowmoon. Our Ladies, then, is a must-see riot of girl power and teen spirit that redefines how girls get to have sex and talk about sexuality on screen. A glowing school report on behalf of Scottish and British cinema, it’s The fast-paced thriller is Eastwood’s first feature and is produced by Janine Cobain with 23ten’s Martin definitely one to watch when it appears on general release. Brennan executive producing. Belfast Film Festival are delighted to welcome Director Michael Caton-Jones and Producer Laura Northern Ireland Screen’s New Talent Focus scheme aims to deliver one debut feature by a Northern Viederman will take part in a Q and A following the screening. Ireland resident creative team each year. Previous films include Shelly Love’s A Bump Along the Way, Ryan

The story and characters alone are more than entertaining, as well as the satisfying development of said characters into more than one and Andrew Tohill’s The Dig, Chris Baugh and Brendan Mullin’s Bad Day for the Cut, Stephen Fingleton’s dimensional stereotypes, as there isn’t one in sight. Katie Hogan The Survivalist and Michael Lennox’s A Patch of Fog. Our Ladies brings poignancy and laughs while offering a nostalgic celebration of sisterhood. Katie Smith-Wong

DIRECTED BY: MICHAEL CATON-JONES. DIRECTED BY: COLUM EASTWOOD. YEAR: 2019. DURATION: 100MINS. COUNTRY: UK. CERT: 15+. YEAR: ?. DURATION: ?. COUNTRY: NORTHERN IRELAND. CERT: 15.

8 9 10 11 new cinema

Our choice of the best international cinema

Please Note: Not all of the new cinema screenings in our programme have been certified by the BBFC as yet. Therefore Belfast Film Festival have suggested a provisional cert based on content.

WOMEN MAKE FILM: A NEW ROAD MOVIE THROUGH CINEMA QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. friday 3rd-sunday 5th APRIL. 11.00aM-5.00pm. £6.50 per film/£15 for all 3

If the cinematic canon is dominated by male directors, how can we respond to it? With an epic series comprised of brilliant films by female filmmakers.

Women Make Film is an epic exploration of cinema history through the lens of some the world’s greatest directors – all women. Told in 40 “chapters”, narrated by Tilda Swinton, Jane Fonda, Debra Winger, Adjoa Andoh, Kerry Fox, Thandie Newton, and Sharmila Tagore, shot and edited by Mark Cousins – life, love, politics, humour and death are all explored and examined in this epic 14-hour road trip like no other. This is your chance to see the whole film, in three instalments. The latest cinematic lecture by Mark Cousins is passionately devoted to and powered by female practitioners. Women Make Film aims to present 40 key topics pivotal to the craft and philosophy of cinema through excerpts from films directed by women. For the first four hours of Cousins’ vast project, he traverses 11 topics, including ‘Openings’, ‘Believability’, ‘Conversations’ and ‘Framing’. The result is a beautiful labour of love – a tribute to the genius of women directors and to the art of cinema. It is also a valuable contribution to the ongoing process of addressing film history and those who have been omitted from it.

DIRECTED BY: MARK COUSINS. NARRATORS: TILDA SWINTON, JANE FONDA, ADJOA ANDOH THANDIE NEWTON, KERRY FOX, SHARMILA TAGORE & DEBRA WINGER. YEAR: 2019. DURATION: 840MINS. COUNTRY: UK. CERT: PG.

12 13 the long note beanbag cinema.tuesday 7TH APRIL. 7.00PM. £6.50/£4. Crescent Arts Centre. Wednesday 1st April. 7.00pm. £6.50/£4. THE OTHER LAMB QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. monday 6TH APRIL. 6.00PM. £6.50/£4 Helen Cammock’s Turner Prize-nominated film focuses firmly on women’s various fights for social justice in Derry. Malgorzata Szumowska’s striking English-language debut uses There is a point in Helen Cammock’s film The Long Note when Bernadette Devlin McAliskey neatly a feverish fantasy of women at the mercy of a charismatic cult captures women’s invisibility in the story of Northern Irish civil rights. She says that “a whole history that leader to dissect the horrors of toxic masculinity and the abuse didn’t belong to me” was ascribed to her, referring to her own notoriety in the period and the fact that people will often say she was at protests, riots or other key events that she actually had no part in. This, of power. she argues, is because “women get amalgamated into the visible one woman” when history gets told. The Having cleansed themselves ‘from the rot of the outside world’, a group of women live in a remote media and the political establishment need their headline-friendly figure and any other women who were rural area under the rule of Shepherd. Selagh (a fierce Raffey Cassidy) has never known a life beyond actually there fade into the background. the community. Increasingly inclined to question this world, her coming of age becomes a fight for emancipation in a drama with echoes of The Handmaid’s Tale. The Long Note, which focuses explicitly on women in Derry, exists in the context of such commemoration, a context in which questions around who and what gets remembered are crucial for present realities. An impressive English-language debut for one of Poland’s most compelling contemporary filmmakers, The Other Lamb is engrossing, thoughtful and While the film uses the voices of well-known individuals such as activist journalist Nell McCafferty, the unhesitating in its ideological messaging. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas voices of the other women who were involved in the conflict are just as important. Archive footage and Visually dynamic and full of rage, The Other Lamb uses an all-female cult as a backdrop for a profoundly affecting coming-of-age story. Culturess interviews highlight the political work performed by women in public and private settings. There is much KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival returns to London’s festival scene from 19 March to 5 April 2020, here that fits with a conventional didactic documentary form – interviews and archive footage from the bringing with it an exhilarating range of new Polish film and culture as well as highlighting lesser known time – but Cammock uses no names in the film, and the stories and images are left to speak for themselves. gems ripe for rediscovery. Offering unique insights into Poland’s rich history and culture, the festival The stories included are powerful and give us an insight into the daily realities in which many of the represents diverse and universal new works from exciting new filmmakers as well as those which have made tragedies of the Troubles occurred. a valued contribution and impact to the world filmmaking landscape.

DIRECTED BY: HELEN CAMMOCK. DIRECTED BY: MALGORZATA SZUMOWSKA. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: UK. DURATION: 80MINS. CERT: PG. YEAR: 2019. DURATION: 1HR 37MINS. COUNTRY: IRELAND, BELGIUM, USA. CERT: 15+.

14 15 LUCKY GRANDMA QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. Thursday 2nd APRIL. 7.20PM. £6.50/£4 ARRACHT odeon, victoria square. Tuesday 7TH APRIL. 6.45PM. £6.50/£4 A crafty Coen-esque black comedy about an elderly widow who inadvertently steals from the Chinese mob and subsequently takes on the gangs to secure her fortune. Ireland 1845. As the famine tightens its grip, a fisherman is hunted for crimes he did not commit. Unable to protect his Lucky Grandma is the kind of film that shouldn’t exist, but does. An Asian-American heist film featuring family from death he is subsumed by darkness until a helpless an octogenarian Chinese woman, combining high-stakes black comedy with poignant family drama – mainly spoken in Mandarin and set in Manhattan’s dingy Chinatown underworld? A movie like this only little girl saves him from despair. comes around once in a lifetime. An 86-year-old Tsai Chin – a former 60s Bond Girl and the breakout star of The Joy Luck Club – fully A strong, character-driven thriller set during a tumultuous period in Irish history. Told in the Irish inhabits the role of Grandma, an irascible first-generation immigrant whose days are spent dourly rebuking language, and set on the eve of The Great Hunger, Arracht (meaning Monster) tells of a fisherman who her Westernised children and shuffling around her tiny Chinatown apartment. Her money woes prompt takes in a stranger on the request of a priest. Events that follow lead to tragic personal struggles, but hope her to steal a duffle bag full of cash off a corpse on the shuttle bus back from a casino. Tsai plays Grandma may come in the form of a young girl who needs his help. as David Carradine reincarnated as an elderly Chinese auntie – sly, cunning, prone to outbursts of scolding and chain-smoking magnificently through several packs a day. When the triads burst through her door This well-acted and beautifully scored film captures its characters both in the thrall of nature and their demanding their money back, she’s more than equipped to take them on. own worst instincts. Director Tom Sullivan skilfully creates a haunting atmosphere that stays with you Belfast Film Festival are delighted to welcome Director Sasie Sealy to take part in a Q and A following the long after you leave the theatre. Can a man who has lost everything find a way back to himself and start screening. a new life? A crowd-pleaser with a slyly magnetic lead performance. Hollywood Reporter This tough drama/thriller benefits from an unusual setting and a flinty approach. Screen International The film wryly captures the flavours of the insular community of first generation Chinese immigrants to America, while also exploring a theme with universal resonance - that of an older woman fighting to retain her agency and independence. Screen International An outrageously funny, unquestionably cool black comedy. Slashfilm

DIRECTED BY: TOM SULLIVAN. DIRECTED BY: SASIE SEALY. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: IRELAND. DURATION: 1HR 26MINS. CERT: 15+. YEAR: 2019. DURATION: 87MINS. COUNTRY: USA. CERT: PG.

16 17 ABOUT ENDLESSNESS BLOW THE MAN DOWN QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. wednesday 8TH APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. sunday 5TH APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4

ADAM The latest from influential Swedish Two sisters in a small Maine fishing QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. sunday 5TH APRIL. 6.00PM. £6.50/£4 filmmaker Roy Andersson A( Pigeon village try to cover up a violent Sat on a Branch Reflecting on crime and avoid running afoul of the Two women, marginalised by Moroccan society, transform each Existence) weaves together multiple suspicious and threatening proprietor other’s lives in Maryam Touzani’s feature about the courage visually arresting vignettes into a of the local brothel (Margo Martindale), powerful larger narrative exploring in Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage and compassion it takes to move beyond living with grief and our personal lack of awareness. Cole’s atmospheric debut. shame. Belfast Film Festival is delighted to welcome Director Maryam One of cinema’s most revered artists, Roy Already adept at establishing mood and tone, the Touzani and Nabil Ayouch will take part in a Q and A following Andersson has created a peerless and influential filmmakers construct a dingy and ominous atmosphere, body of work. Utilising a trompe-l’oeil technique the film. complete with sea shanty interludes from fishermen. and constructing his films as a series of eerie Abla runs a modest local bakery from her home in Casablanca where she lives alone with her 8-year-old With an impeccable eye for detail a realistic seaside vignettes, Andersson makes films with a singular, daughter Warda. Their routine of housework and homework is interrupted one day by a knock on the community is brought to life. Each development in door. It is Samia, a young woman looking for a job and a roof over her head. The little girl is immediately haunting atmosphere. His somnambulant taken with the newcomer but her mother initially refuses to allow a pregnant stranger into their home. characters float ghostlike through the detailed this noir element–laden story is unlocked like a piece Gradually, however, Abla’s resolve softens and Samia’s arrival begins to offer all of them the prospect of a landscapes he and his teams construct – afraid to of uncovered, buried treasure. new life. engage with one another or lost in grief, This atmospheric, expertly crafted little New England noir has droll Screening to critical acclaim in Cannes Un Certain Regard programme, Touzani’s film is part social confusion, and metaphysical angst – with scenes dialogue, a female empowerment theme and a sly use of crime elements. commentary, part intimate exploration of the depth and strength of women’s friendships. Infused with often culminating in absurdist, awkward humour. Hollywood Reporter generosity and understanding towards its characters, its intimate camerawork amplifies the exceptional, Everybody has secrets, nobody is innocent and the fun lies in watching it all emotionally measured performances of its lead actresses. Adam is a love letter to motherhood and a Ridiculous! Yet it’s strangely revealing how little enhancement play out in a subtle noir where the dames run the show and there’s nary a testament to how a chance encounter can change a life forever. cinema needs, how powerful such minimalism can be in revealing human hard-boiled Bogart-type to be found. perplexity. It’s probably not one for Netflix, though. David Sexton TheWrap Maryam Touzani allows her audience to sit back and relax comfortably into a beautifully made, character-driven little gem that knows when and how to touch all the right buttons. Variety About Endlessness contains moments of devilish wit, but at heart it Cole and Kurdy’s tight script and character development makes Blow the Adam is an intimate, confident portrait of a friendship that blossoms in a social context where shame and social acceptance dominate how women is a sad, sweet picture, threaded with themes of estrangement and Man Down an entertaining thriller with a feminist appeal that embraces see themselves and others. AWFJ Women on Film separation. Guardian tropes as it shatters convention. Maternity, friendship and the position of women in Moroccan society all feature in Maryam Touzani’s exquisite debut film. Cineuropa AwardsWatch Aside from the fact that this is Andersson’s most nakedly moving film Supported by the Film Africa Travel Grants pilot scheme, delivered by the Royal African Society in to date, there’s still much fun to be had from guessing how he’s The brilliance of Cole and Krudy’s Blow the Man Down is in its rich textures physically able to create these magical moments. Little White Lies and its refusal to compromise on its characters. partnership with the British Council. CineVue

DIRECTED BY: MARYAM TOUZANI. DIRECTED BY: ROY ANDERSSON. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: SWEDEN, DIRECTED BY: BRIDGET SAVAGE COLE, DANIELLE KRUDY. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: FRANCE, MOROCC0. DURATION: 98MINS. CERT: PG. GERMANY, NORWAY. DURATION: 76MINS. CERT 18+. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: USA. DURATION: 91MINS. CERT: 15+.

18 19 initials s.g. perfect 10 r i a lto proxima QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. wednesday 1st APRIL. 7.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. wednesday 1st APRIL. 5.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. tuesday 7TH APRIL. 6.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. tuesday 7TH APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4

Set amidst an Argentinian bid to win the World Cup, floundering actor Sergio Garces strives for the effortless cool of Serge Gainsbourg, whom he An aspiring teen gymnast’s world is A nuanced and deeply cinematic Eva Green plays Sarah, a woman trying resembles and shares initials with. turned upside down with the arrival portrait of a middle-aged Dublin to balance her work as an astronaut He’s having the unluckiest few days of of the half-brother she never knew man disintegrating on all fronts. preparing for a year-long stint on the his life. she had. Dublin-based fortysomething Colm (Tom International Space Station with her Vaughan-Lawlor) is married with two older family life as mother to an eight-year- After pushing someone out of a window in the heat 14-year-old Leigh lives with her neglectful father on children and a long-term job at the docks. But old daughter Stella. of a scuffle, he’s sentenced to probation and anger the outskirts of Brighton. She’s a talented gymnast, his placid facade masks a psyche that’s rapidly management training. Then, a bike accident busts his disintegrating. A recent takeover threatens his training hard for her first competition despite her Sarah feels guilty about not being able to spend nose to the point that he can only “appear” onscreen future employment, his teenage son treats him lack of confidence, bitchy fellow gymnasts and more time with her child. Her love is overpowering, in virtual reality porn. All the same, Sergio exudes an with disdain and he’s grieving the death of his enticing charisma, a rumpled cool – an aura that led little money to pay for her fees. When an older own, emotionally destructive father. Colm has unsettling. When Sarah is chosen to join the crew of a him to record covers of Serge Gainsbourg, to whom half-brother appears at her house one night, Leigh’s also become infatuated with sex worker Jay (Tom year-long space mission called Proxima, it creates chaos he bears more than a passing resemblance. lonely existence is altered. Mistrust gradually Glynn-Carney), while avoiding contact with in the mother-daughter relationship. Director Alice transforms into exciting new feelings as Leigh his wife Claire (Monica Dolan). Working from Winocour delivers nuanced, profound commentary, Mark O’Halloran’s nuanced screenplay, Peter Like Sergio’s covers, Initials SG riffs on classic cool, receives the attention she craves. But she is also co-mingling concepts on identity, motherhood and the Mackie Burns has crafted a rich, cinematic and nodding to Goodfellas, Breathless, and the effortlessly exposed to the thrill and danger of moped crime. multi-layered portrait of a mid-life crisis, with pursuit of heroism. chic sensuality of an icon like Gainsbourg. From these Debut director Eva Riley delivers an assured and Rialto’s visual incisiveness accentuated by its tense, With a delicate and elegant realism, the movie talks about a hostile world reference points, co-directors Rania Attieh and Daniel spirited coming-of-age story that explores with enveloping sound design. where it’s difficult to find harmony between family and work. Garcia create a world that is entirely their own, here, Fotogramas heartfelt sensitivity a sibling relationship. A keen Belfast Film Festival are delighted to welcome Buenos Aires is laid-back and rhythmic, the perfect Eva Green plays this mother divided with a clamorous sensitivity. visual style and lively soundtrack complete this Mark O’Halloran to take part in a Q and A backdrop for Sergio’s dreamy, stylish and, frankly, Cinemanía portrait of wilful yet sensitive teenagehood. following the screening. weed-induced head trip. “Rialto” builds an intimate portrait of masculine crisis, illuminated by With Perfect 10, Scottish writer/director Eva Riley turns a plucky and two extraordinary central performances, but stops just short of A dark comedy that is twisted, deformed, uncomfortable, and finally compassionate coming-of-age tale into a memorable feature debut, all converting all that insight into truly powerful cinema. enjoyable. Otroscines.com while unearthing a shining talent in fellow first-timer Frankie Box. Variety Screen International I honestly don’t want to say too much more because this film is definitely this story of real-life misery could play out in many different ways but best approached as a surprise. In the end, you will be amazed by what you few would go in the specific direction of Peter Mackie Burns’ Rialto, or just saw. Film Threat would tell the story quite as delicately. Hollywood Reporter

DIRECTED BY: RANIA ATTIEH. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: ARGENTINA. DIRECTED BY: EVA RILEY. DIRECTED BY: PETER MACKIE BURNS. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: ALICE WINOCOUR. DURATION: 98MINS. CERT: 18+. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: UK. DURATION: 84MINS. CERT: 15+. COUNTRY: IRELAND. DURATION: 90MINS. CERT: 15+. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: FRANCE. DURATION: 107MINS. CERT: 12A.

20 21 rocks rose plays julie sister the county QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. monday 6TH APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. wednesday 8TH APRIL. 6.30PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. friday 3rd APRIL. 4.00PM. £6.50/£4 strand arts centre. thursday 9TH APRIL. 8.15PM. £6.50/£4

This uncanny and transgressive film about a young woman who tracks down her birth parents is Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor’s best work A vibrant and hugely engaging yet. A teenage girl’s habitual fantasies Defiant farmer’s wife invites the portrait of female friendship have unforeseen consequences in monopolistic milk mafia to a showdown and growing up in London from It’s during a term studying animal euthanasia that Svetla Tsotsorkova’s sensitive take in Grímur Hákonarson’s swaying director Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane, veterinary student Rose (Ann Skelly) decides to on the apparently mundane lives of David-and-Goliath tale set among cow Suffragette) and writers Theresa contact Ellen (Orla Brady), the birth mother who a mother and her two daughters. dung and milking robots. Ikoko and Claire Wilson. gave her up for adoption. But Ellen, who is now a successful London-based actress, doesn’t want to Like her award-winning debut Thirst, Tsotsorkova’s When Inga’s husband suddenly dies in a truck accident, know. Undeterred, Rose will not be ignored. And Rocks is a popular teenager with big dreams for the latest drama is centred on a professional she is left alone with a milk farm and enormous debt to curiosity leads her to discoveries that shake the future, brilliant friends and an adoring little brother. occupation – the making and selling of ceramic the monopolistic agricultural cooperative. But instead fragile identity she has built for herself. But her world is turned upside down when her figures at a wayside shop. Rayna is a defiant of wallowing in sorrow, Inga opts for rage and takes mother suddenly leaves. Determined to stick with Rose Plays Julie is a slow-burn thriller that teenager who says what she thinks and makes up up the fight against injustices and mafia methods in her brother and avoid being taken into care against builds a sense of dread inside an exquisite world stories to impress potential customers, but her the Icelandic countryside. Grímur Hákonarson’s return all odds, Rocks leaves her home and hides around of immaculate architecture, rendered through fantasy world uncovers a hidden reality when she to the comedy genre is a visually dizzying party for London with the help of her loyal – or maybe not so an icy performance style and enveloped by a becomes involved with her sister’s boyfriend. everyone who loves Icelandic landscapes, and is also loyal – friends. A film about the resilience and spirit claustrophobic soundtrack. Skelly and Brady are spiked with a wonderful soundtrack featuring Icelandic of girlhood. both exacting and measured in their delivery, as Focusing on the world of a single mother and her pop hits from the nineties. the film takes us through longing and revenge to two daughters, Sister is, according to Tsotsorkova, “The County” is full of feisty female energy and imagery, and sprinkled with The resulting performances - lively, giddy and authentic - define the movie, arrive at the dark places of power and its abuses. ‘a confession of love to those who live a seemingly while the lovely upbeat ending sweetens an otherwise stinging social rousing “you go girl!” comic moments. Alissa Simon. Variety. critique. Times This is frank, immersive and decidedly feminist unnoticeable life’. Strikingly composed and This potent work about stolen childhood deserves attention because of the filmmaking. featuring superb performances by its leads, For those looking to understand the global nature of the struggles faced freshness of the cast and because it confirms that Gavron is a director to Tsotsorkova’s drama has its fair share of twists and by those who dare to resist all-encompassing economic organizations, this It is a really powerful film and Brady’s final dialogue scene exerts a watch. Hollywood Reporter movie delivers the goods. lethal grip. Peter Bradshaw.Guardian. more than a few unexpected encounters as the Slashfilm The movie’s optimism comes from the way it was put together, as an after- One of the best screen depictions of the internal struggle of being three protagonists engage with the world around school collective between filmmakers, volunteers and girls like Bakray, who adopted, perfectly realising a character’s permanent sense of met screenwriter Theresa Ikoko years before cameras began to roll. Variety them. existential displacement, and constant worries that she’s not living the Rocks is a film that accomplishes to be very fun and profound at the same life she was intended for. Film Inquiry time. Film Threat Molloy and Lawlor approach the psychological thriller in a pleasingly unique and unsettling fashion. The Skinny

DIRECTED BY: SARAH GAVRON. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: UK. DIRECTED BY: CHRISTINE MOLLOY, JOE LAWLOR. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: SVETLA TSOTSORKOVA. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: GRÍMUR HÁKONARSON. YEAR: 2019. DURATION: 90MINS. CERT: 15+. COUNTRY: IRELAND, UK. DURATION: 100MINS. CERT: 15. COUNTRY: BULGARIA, QATAR. DURATION: 97MINS. CERT: 15. COUNTRY: ICELAND. DURATION: 92MINS. CERT: 12A.

22 23 the whistlers county lines schemers uncle QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. thursday 9TH APRIL. 8.40PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. thursday 9TH APRIL. 2.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. saturday 4TH APRIL. 6.20PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. thursday 2nd APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4

The dirty-cop trope gets an Drawing on real-life cases, this is a A concert promoter tries to stage Kris and her partially disabled uncle imaginative new workout in this sly controlled and disquieting drama an Iron Maiden concert in 1980s run a derelict farm together: their and intricate crime drama by the about a 14-year-old London boy Dundee. quirky yet loving relationship, built director Corneliu Porumboiu. being used as a mule by nationwide upon daily routine, is challenged when drug traffickers. Set in Dundee c. 1979, Schemers is based on love crosses Kris’ path and introduces In The Whistlers, not everything is as it seems for writer-producer David McLean’s early years in life-changing questions. This love Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both Excluded from school, Tyler becomes a train-bound the music business. A fledgling promoter, he story, centering on the heroine’s sides of the law. Embarking with Gilda on a high- narcotics courier for local criminal Simon, played ambitiously booked bands with his friends John heartbreaking choice, combines humor stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and with a calm menace by Harris Dickinson. County and Scot, all of them from the Dundee schemes. with beautiful imagery. turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to Lines depicts the ensuing cycle of debt, deceit and Young Davie (Conor Berry) is determined not to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language get a ‘real’ job. violent exploitation with a quiet stylistic confidence Kris lives with her partly disabled uncle in rural might just be what they need to pull it off. Both his that’s all the more haunting for being so rigorously Denmark and together they run a derelict farm. In superiors in the police force and the gangsters he’s He starts out running discos and, after a run unsentimental. their quirky yet loving relationship, built upon daily working with smell a rat. Is there anyone left he can in with a local gangster, raises his ambitions routines, words aren’t necessary. Kris is the dominant trust? Certainly not Gilda, a classic femme fatale. to booking major bands such as Iron Maiden. Writer-director Henry Blake’s auspicious feature workhorse and she has taken on a motherly and Shot in and around Dundee using local debut touches on the disturbing criminal practice overprotecting role towards her uncle. When Kris In his familiar bone-dry, slightly absurd style, but talent, Schemers celebrates youthful ambition. with a lot more action than we are used to from him, which sees urban gangs grooming young children to saves a calf during a complicated birth, her interest Corneliu Porumboiu tackles subjects including loyalty, traffic drugs into rural areas in the United Kingdom. Schemers is a charming low-budget slice of life that does what it set in the veterinary field is reawakened. She develops a Combining a vivid, empathetic approach to his out to do -- and with an abundance of charm at that. corruption, bureaucracy and semantics – all packaged CineVue friendship with the chatty veterinarian Johannes and as a stylish, Hitchcockian thriller. working-class characters and milieu, a good eye and slowly experiences life outside the farm. As love crosses a thriller master’s ability to unsettle, Blake offers up her path, a possible life-changing question emerges. PORUMBOIU has always been the funniest of the Romanian new wave a short, sharp jab to the national conscience. directors, albeit with a bitter twist and deliberately rough delivery. Here, As writer/director Frelle Petersen stares lovingly at his backdrop and sees clearly revelling in the constraints of genre convention, he delivers pure majesty in its grassy expanse, he explores its beauty. entertainment. Stephanie Bunbury Screen International A satisfyingly clever, surprisingly high-octane narc thriller which gussies up its intrigue with a delightfully original method of passing on messages without police interception. Daily Telegraph A captivating and clever thriller. La Nación

DIRECTED BY: CORNELIU PORUMBOIU. YEAR: 2020. DIRECTED BY: HENRY BLAKE. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: UK. DIRECTED BY: DAVID MCLEAN. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: RENÉ FRELLE PETERSEN. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: ROMANIA. DURATION: 97MINS. CERT: 15+. DURATION: 90MINS. CERT: 15+. COUNTRY: UK. DURATION: 91MINS. CERT: 12A. COUNTRY: DEMNARK. DURATION: 106MINS. CERT: 15.

24 25 savage ema family romance llc broken law QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. thursday 9TH APRIL. 9.15PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. friday 3rd APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. thursday 9TH APRIL. 6.45PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. friday 3rd APRIL. 6.20PM. £6.50/£4

In a story spanning three decades, After a shocking incident upends Werner Herzog is on typically A respected Garda finds his loyalties the sergeant in a violent New Zealand her family life and marriage to a thought-provoking form, tested to the absolute limit in this biker gang reflects on the defining tempestuous choreographer, Ema, dramatising the work of a crime thriller starring Cardboard moments that turned him into a feared a reggaeton dancer, sets out on an ‘rent-a-relative’ service, in Gangsters cast members John outsider. odyssey of personal liberation, in this this Tokyo-set meditation on Connors, Tristan Heanue and Graham incendiary drama about art, desire, contemporary alienation. Earley. What turns a man into a monster? This multi- and the modern family from director stranded drama attempts to explain how a normal Pablo Larraín (Jackie, Neruda). Romance is a business. Family, friends, followers. The film, which marks the feature debut of filmmaker young boy named Danny became a fearsome biker by All available for hire. A man is hired to Paddy Slattery, tells the story of two estranged brothers the name of Damage, who wears his gang membership Every new Pablo Larraín film is a miracle of impersonate the missing father of a on opposite sides of the law. as a full-face tattoo. Kicking off in the late 1980s, imagination, invention and insight into human twelve-year-old-girl. where an increasingly jaded Damage is propping up behaviour. And Ema may be his most lyrical and Shot in Japan, with Japanese actors, in Japanese the gang’s divisive leader Moses, Sam Kelly’s debut poetic yet – a character study of a beguiling woman language, Werner Herzog brings to the screen a flashes back to the 1960s, when Danny is remanded who is ruled by heart and impulse. In a vivid unique angle to the recurring theme of individuals in custody for thievery, then cruises through the collage of scenes shot by Sergio Armstrong (The chasing impossible dreams. 1970s as Danny finds his outlaw home. This journey Club, Souvenir), with an expressive score from “Family Romance, LLC” has the bittersweet quality of a Disney story but of reflection is the spine of the film, which comes Nicolas Jaar, Larraín paints a picture of talented the production qualities of a Lifetime movie. to a head when internal gang tensions boil over and indieWire contemporary dancer and teacher Ema. We learn of Danny/Damage is embroiled in a murder plot. But is a recent trauma and her fiery relationship with her Herzog takes an unconventional route, but in the end he manages to he really the killer they think he is? slightly older husband (Gael García Bernal), who is find emotional truth in this tender, funny and sweet story about modern relationships. both a choreographer and her creative collaborator. Writer-director Sam Kelly pulls the cover off New Little White Lies Their recent adoption of a troubled child has gone Zealand’s gang culture in his first feature. One part badly, for which they are harshly judged. examination of a criminal subculture and one part dissection of masculinity and how it’s defined, Savage One of the year’s most dynamic and electrifying films. indieWire will also recall Lee Tamahori’s Once Were Warriors for It’s a riveting cinematic journey, packed with moments that are darkly the social tapestry of a marginalised group it weaves. chilling as well as sweetly moving. Rich Cline

DIRECTED BY: SAM KELLY. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: PABLO LARRAÍN. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: CHILE. DIRECTED BY: WERNER HERZOG. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: PADDY SLATTERY. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: NEW ZEALAND. DURATION: 101MINS. CERT: 18+. DURATION: 102MINS. CERT: 15. COUNTRY: JAPAN, GERMANY. DURATION: 89MINS. CERT: 15+. COUNTRY: IRELAND. DURATION: 85MINS. CERT: 18.

26 27 axone patrick WHITE SNAKE THE BEARS' FAMOUS odyssey cinema.thursday 2nd APRIL. 7.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. friday 3rd APRIL. 8.40PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. monday 6TH APRIL. 3.50PM. £6.50/£4 INVASION OF SICILY QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. thursday 9TH APRIL. 3.30PM. £6.50/£4

This bittersweet comedy follows Patrick is not having an easy time. His In this visually ravishing animation, It all begins when Tonio, the son of the migrants in Delhi who are attempting favorite hammer is missing. Before a girl with magical gifts embodies king of bears, is kidnapped by hunters to organise a wedding party, but soon the day is out, Patrick’s search will the Chinese legend of the White in the mountains of Sicily. find everything going wrong. lead him to discover answers to Snake, in a land of magic, demons the questions he didn’t even know and plenty of snakes. Taking advantage of the rigour of a winter that threatens Echoing My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this original his people with famine, the king then decides to invade existed. Blanca wakes up in a remote village with no comedy romp finds a group of girlfriends from the plain where the men live. With the help of his army memory of who she is or how she got there. Xuan, Assam and Meghalaya, north-eastern states in India, and a magician, he manages to win and finally finds Patrick is in charge of maintenance at a naturist the snake-catcher who saved her, helps to search gathering in the back streets of Delhi to throw a secret Tonio. But he quickly understands that the people of campsite owned by his father. His workshop is as for clues that might lead to her true identity. As wedding party for a soon-to-be bride. Terrorised by the bears are not made to live in the land of men. well-ordered as his life, but nothing lasts forever. fragments of her memory return, Blanca discovers their landlady and with their boyfriends utterly useless The loss of Patrick’s favourite hammer has a that she has magical gifts, and also skills as a as help, the group’s already disorganised plans soon go Beautifully drawn with bold colours and appealing shapes, the film’s style profound effect on him and sets off a chain of events kickass assassin. further awry. is classic animation at its best, clear and pleasing, calculated to charm from which the pensive lad emerges as a new man. Fresh from its success in China, White Snake children and adults alike. Variety A tragicomedy about the importance of keeping an features gorgeous serpentine design and eye- As the women cook the traditional axone wedding eye on your tools, about existential nudity, among The picture manages to avoid pretentiousness in both its design and its stew (a pork stew with pungent local herbs), popping characters. With its jaw-dropping narration. It is very much aimed at families and is told in a classical style - other things, and about people for whom a trailer is spectacular of a climax, animation fans will a real joy. Cineuropa neighbours complain about its powerful smell. their whole world. However, they are determined to prepare the aromatic definitely find it time well spent! An animated wonder. Àngel Quintana Conceived as a prequel to one of the most ancient dish. With the challenges brought on by cultural Featuring a seemingly impossible amount of nudity, and enduring stories in Chinese history, White difference and the pressures of being migrants in a director Mielants uses the physical nakedness of his Snake presents a sumptuous tale of trickster seemingly unfriendly city, is food and love enough to actors to disarm the audience and present complex demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia save the day? human beings who can only be judged by their action, and the promise of eternal love. characters. Even if you’re not familiar with the source material, this Chinese I give Tim Mielants a lot of credit for overlaying the framework of an production provides plenty of supernatural thrills for the modern Agatha Christie mystery onto a Jim Jarmusch film. Pop Matters young adult. Washington Post

DIRECTED BY: NICHOLAS KHARKONGOR. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: TIM MIELANTS. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: BELGIUM. DIRECTED BY: AMP WONG, JI ZHAO. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: LORENZO MATTOTTI. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: INDIA. DURATION: 96MINS. CERT: PG. DURATION: 97MINS. CERT: 12A. COUNTRY: CHINA. DURATION: 98MINS. CERT: PG. COUNTRY: FRANCE, ITALY. DURATION: 1HR 22MINS. CERT: 6+.

28 29 altered stat es

Why Don't You Just Die! odeon, victoria square. thursday 2nd APRIL. 6.45PM. £6.50/£4

A jaw-dropping crime-thriller with gallons of gore, super-stylish visuals and a very wicked sense of humour.

The deceptively simple story centres on Matvei, a nervous young guy who arrives at a Moscow apartment with a hammer in his hand and murder on his mind. Inside is Andrei, a hulking police detective and father of Matvei’s girlfriend. It’s not long before all blood-spurting hell breaks loose. A confidently mounted blur of different filmmaking styles, ethical codes & generational clashes that welcomes the viewer to laugh, wince & gawp at its messy excess, while cheering on a young antihero who surely cannot survive his ordeal to the end.

A splatterpunk action comedy drenched in gleefully dark Russian humor. Hollywood Reporter

One of the most evocative horror debuts in years. Kirill Sokolov’s energetic, dynamic filmmaking, tricksy plot structure, and well-calibrated tone feel Tarantino-esque in the best way possible.An Itchy & Scratchy-cartoon brought to life. Flickering Myth

The balance between humour, violence and tragedy could be queasy but Sokolov is an expert high wire artist of a director, always pulling the film back in another direction whenever it seems to be too much one thing. Starburst

Impeccable comic timing and keen self-awareness makes what is essentially slapstick plus gore into something much more entertaining. Eye for Film

DIRECTED BY: KIRILL SOKOLOV. YEAR: 2019. DURATION: 1HR 51MINS. COUNTRY: RUSSIA. CERT: 18+.

30 31 sea fever Fatal Deviation odeon, victoria square. thursday 9TH APRIL. 6.45PM. £6.50/£4 black box. wednesday 8TH APRIL. 8.00PM. £6.50/£4

A bizarre creature hitches a ride on a departing trawler, in Ireland’s first (and only) feature-length martial arts film. Filmed this masterful genre film from Irish filmmaker Neasa Hardiman in the verdant backwater of Trim and featuring exactly one that leverages the mysteries of the sea to amplify the potential (completely unintentional) stunt, this is a film best witnessed in horrors of the unknown. the safety of a group.

For all our dazzling strides in understanding this vast world we inhabit, the sea remains a source of great Written, produced, filmed, cast by, stunt-coordinated, and starring James Bennett. The film tells the story mystery, a place where awe and fear are eternally confluent. A spinetingling marriage of science and of Jimmy Bennett (unrelated), a young man returning home after a long absence, his future uncertain, his folklore, this deftly crafted thinking-person’s chiller draws upon our fascination with deep waters and the father gone. After witnessing Jimmy’s takedown of local drug gang The Drug Lords Gang (featuring Mikey strange forms they conceal. Graham, member of boy band BOYZONE), a monk belonging to the local church’s secret underground Siobhán (Hermione Corfield) is a brilliant young marine biology student, more at home amidst laboratory kung fu sect approaches with an offer to train Jimmy for the upcoming no-holds barred Bealtaine equipment than people. As a component of her studies, she boards a trawler overseen by a couple (Dougray tournament. Scott and Connie Nielsen) whose amiable demeanour shields both financial worries and profound grief. As Jimmy learns the monk’s secret techniques of cutoff shorts, tai-chi and kicking near small fires, The Drug Siobhán is not exactly welcomed aboard: her cool, scientific perspective is at odds with that of the salty, Lords Gang increasingly pressures Jimmy to join them. When he refuses, the Drug Lords call ace fighter superstitious crew of “fishmen”, and her red hair is considered bad luck. Not long after setting sail, the old ship’s hull is glommed onto by a bizarre, bioluminescent creature of unknown genus. Seagull back from Hong Kong to take Jimmy out in the tournament. Jimmy’s only hope is mastering the Fatal Deviation, as taught by a man strongly resembling a drunk Led Zeppelin Hermit. Written and directed by veteran Irish filmmaker Neasa Hardiman, Sea Fever draws us in with richly constructed characters before rattling our senses with all manner of eerie sights and sounds, recalling such Programmed by Richard Davis. genre hybrid classics as Alien and The Thing. Hardiman and her collaborators exude a keen understanding Technically this is the worst movie I’ve ever seen, without question- but I f**king loved it! OSW Review of how repulsion and allure intertwine, how our bodies cannot be regarded as separate from the forces of nature, and how perilous it can be to disrespect what we do not understand. It’s Bloodsport meets Father Ted. Den of Geek

DIRECTED BY: NEASA HARDIMAN DIRECTED BY: SIMON LINSCHEID, SHAY CASSERLEY. YEAR: 1998. DURATION: 76MINS. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: IRELAND. DURATION: 89MINS. CERT: 18+. COUNTRY: IRELAND. CERT: 18.

32 33 DEAD DICKS DEERSKIN Jesus Shows You the Way THE WANDERING EARTH beanbag cinema. monday 6TH APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. monday 6TH APRIL. 8.40PM. £6.50/£4 to the Highway odeon, victoria square. friday 3rd APRIL. 6.45PM. FREE beanbag cinema. sunday 5TH APRIL. 8.00PM. £6.50/£4

Dead Dicks tackles taboos, blending One man’s love for his designer jacket Miguel Llanso’s second feature A looming collision with Jupiter trippy horror, irreverent humour, and escalates to dangerous heights in is an inspired mashup of vintage threatens Earth as humans search for shocking tenderness to create a film what might just be the strangest exploitation tropes and pure a new star. The planet’s fate now lies in that’s both darkly challenging and serial killer film ever made. absurdism. the hands of a few unexpected heroes. wildly entertaining. To say that Georges has a fetish for deerskin would When a Russian computer virus (manifesting as The Wandering Earth tells the story of a distant When a young nursing student named Becca receives be an understatement. In fact, his dedication to Stalin) invades the VR world of New Ethiopia, future in which the sun is about to expand into a red a series of panicked messages from her older brother his textile of choice is so unwavering, the recent CIA agent DT Gagano, who dreams of opening a giant and devour the Earth, prompting mankind to Richie, she rushes over to check on him. divorcé blows his entire life savings on the vintage pizza restaurant, is sent in to destroy it. make an audacious attempt to save the planet. The Following a seemingly successful suicide attempt, fringe jacket of his dreams. Georges holes up in multi-generational heroes build ten-thousand stellar Richie has discovered what appears to be his own dead a remote country inn where he imagines being Some of psychotronic cinema’s favourite styles engines in an effort to propel Planet Earth out of the body. When Becca gets to his apartment, they find the only jacket-wearer in the world. Boasting a get thrown into a blender to concoct a witch’s solar system, in the hope of finding a new celestial riotous performance from Jean Dujardin as the several more dead versions of Richie and together try brew of cheap 1960s European 007 knockoffs, home. During the 2,500-year-long journey, a group pelt-loving evangelist, the ever-unpredictable to figure out how and why he keeps being reborn each 70s Filipino exploitation cinema, vintage kung fu of daring heroes emerge to defend human civilisation Quentin Dupieux’s wickedly acerbic, deliciously pics, retro TV sci-fi cheese and lucha libre-type from unexpected dangers and new enemies, and to time he takes his own life. deranged black comedy is a tailor-made cult classic. masked machismo. All filtered through a narrative ensure the survival of humanity in this age of the A masterclass in small-scale, high-concept filmmaking, Not your run-of-the-mill existential midlife crisis framework of Cold War anxiety and Afrofuturist wandering Earth. this dazzling film has the surrealism and metaphysical flick, all bets are off when Georges decides all techno-fantasy. other jackets must be destroyed – and his intimate I can’t think of another recent computer-graphics-driven blockbuster that weight of Charlie Kaufman. This is, for all of left me feeling this giddy because of its creators’ consummate attention to its crackling witty dialogue, droll black humour conversations with the deerskin only fuel his rage Billed as “a WTF thriller”, a cornucopia of stylistic detail and infectious can-do spirit. and delirious daftness, at heart a very serious and and paranoia. influences, virtuosic cinematic techniques, and set RogerEbert.com ultimately rather heartbreaking film about emotional Dupieux has made, among other things, a deceptively light comedy about design (ranging from stop-motion animation to It matches the insanity and spectacle of a good Roland Emmerich movie and is the compulsive pleasures of image making and the horrors that said stylised live-action), Llanso’s latest blends far more consistently imaginative with its bizarre premise. interdependence and despair. compulsion can yield. Justin Chang inter-dimensional intrigue, spy-fi, kung-fu, and Alternative Lens An ingenious and imaginative slice of genre cinema. Backseat Mafia An immaculate, taut portrait of pathetic navel-gazing masculinity. Ella Kemp Philip K. Dick-esque mind-melting weirdness to This screening is supported by the Consulate-General of China in It’s an uncommonly smart, engrossing and dramatically ambitious achieve truly unclassifiable results. Belfast. independent horror/drama. Rue Morgue It’s best you discover the absurdity of Deerskin for yourself - because it truly is absurd...a deadpan delight, led by two brilliant comedic actors in Dujardin and Haenel. Orla Smith

DIRECTED BY: CHRIS BAVOTA, LEE PAULA SPRINGER. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: QUENTIN DUPIEUX. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: FRANCE. DIRECTED BY: MIGUEL LLANSO. YEAR: 2019. DIRECTED BY: FRANT GWO. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: CANADA (QUEBEC). DURATION: 82MINS. CERT: 15+. DURATION: 77MINS. CERT: 15+. COUNTRY: SPAIN, ESTONIA. DURATION: 82MINS. CERT: 18+. COUNTRY: CHINA. DURATION: 125MINS. CERT: 15+.

34 35 ZOMBIES FOR SALE Jallikattu odeon, victoria square. wednesday 8TH APRIL. 6.45PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. tuesday 7TH APRIL. 8.40PM. £6.50/£4

Get ready for a dead funny zombie apocalypse! An escaped bull stirs up a frenzy of aggression in a small rural Indian village. Get ready to be gored by cinema’s horns, trampled A rogue zombie gets way more than he bargained for after running afoul of the peculiar and opportunistic under a stampede of deliciously grotesque, fleshy imagery and Park family. They own a rural gas station and survive more on tourist traps of their own design than tossed aloft on a buffalo-snort of bravado because Lijo Jose bona fide repair work. When the Park patriarch regains youthful vitality after a zombie bite, the get-rich-quick light bulbs go off. As the plague spreads, the more-than-eccentric Parks rely on outrageous Pellissery’s utterly bonkers Jallikattu is here to pummel you feats of ingenuity to conquer the undead in hopes of turning a profit. Director Lee Min-jae’s action-packed into submission. and self-referential debut takes everything to task with uproarious abandon. A fever-pitch, adrenaline-soaked vortex of social issues drama and deconstruction of the male id, this there certainly is some social commentary buried beneath this film’s surface - and the humour, which constantly trounces our expectations, serves crazed howl of human brutality morphing inexorably into bestial savagery deserves, and feels destined to as an index to the film’s deeper subversive impulses. find, a willingly cultish following. Anton Bitel Jallikattu overtakes every sensory receptor in the human body. Jallikattu commits to unhinged depravity on a level that’s organically difficult to follow. Jallikattu is nothing you’ve seen and everything you should risk. Slash Film You can’t go wrong with a good zombie caper film, and first-time director Lee Min-Jae’s great script is full of dry humour and lots of heart. Carolyn Mauricette Still, when Jallikattu lets it rip, it’s as exciting and unusual an experience as you’re likely to get this year. Grab it by its horns and don’t dare let go. Globe and Mail The film’s flagrant disregard for logic in the name of gleeful entertainment is part of its charm. Every minute of this work of great absurdity is infused with so many surprises that you’re already planning to watch it again. The film is the answer James Marsh to those who doubted Pellissery’s auteur status. Film Companion If only more filmmakers could match form to politics with this degree of skill. Austin Chronicle I’ve seen a million zombie films, and The Odd Family still managed to surprise me several times, and that’s no easy feat.An absolute riot. Rob Aldam At times almost an abstract collage of image and sound, the film’s opening both sets the scene and ramps up the energy to a level which rarely flags. Screen International Jallikattu is one of the year’s biggest discoveries. ScreenAnarchy

DIRECTED BY: LEE MIN-JAE. DIRECTED BY: LIJO JOSE PELLISSERY. YEAR: 2019. DURATION: 91MINS. YEAR: 2019. COUNTRY: KOREA. DURATION: 112MINS. CERT: 12A. COUNTRY: INDIA. CERT: 18+.

36 37 talking film

Lesley Manville in Conversation The Mac Theatre. Wednesday 8th April. 8.00PM. £10

Award-winning stage and screen actress Lesley Manville will be in conversation with Lisa Barros D’Sa, director of Ordinary Love. Lesley is currently on stage in The Visit, directed by Jeremy Herrin, alongside Hugo Weaving. She recently returned to the big screen in Ordinary Love, adapted from a screenplay by acclaimed Irish playwright Owen McCafferty. Later this year Lesley is also set to star in Let Him Go with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane and Misbehaviour alongside Keira Knightley. She has also recently finished filming the second season of the Sky drama Save Me out later this Spring. Manville recently returned to the big screen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly acclaimed Phantom Thread with Daniel Day-Lewis for which Lesley received both a BAFTA and Academy Award Best Supporting Actress nomination. Last year saw Lesley star in Walt Disney’s iteration Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil. She returned to the BBC in the third and final season of the BAFTA Award winning comedy Mum for which she has twice received a BAFTA Award nominated for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme. Lesley has most recently returned to the BBC in World On Fire, a WWII drama, also starring Sean Bean and Helen Hunt. Lesley’s extensive television credits notably include Harlots, River, The Go-Between, Mayday, Cranford, North And South, Fleming, Bodily Harm, The Cazalets, Other People’s Children, Real Women, Holding On, The Bite, Goggle Eyes, The Mushroom Picker, Top Girls, The Firmand Grown-Ups. Other film credits include Hampstead, Romeo And Juliet, Mr Turner, Molly Moon, A Five Star Life, Another Year, Ashes, Spike Island, Secrets And Lies, Topsy-Turvy and High Hopes. Presented in association with the MAC.

38 39 CHRISTIAN BERGER KIM NEWMAN IN CONVERSATION crescent arts centre. saturday 4th APRIL. 1.00PM. £8 crescent arts centre. sunday 5th APRIL. 7.00PM. £8

Christian Berger is an Austrian cinematographer, director, A must for all horror fans, this talk will delve into the history of producer, and writer of numerous documentaries, TV films and horror movies. features. He is known for his work on The White Ribbon with Michael Haneke, which brought him an Oscar nomination for Kim Newman is the go-to guy for anything related to horror. A familiar face on our TV screens, an award- Best Cinematography at the 82nd Academy Awards. winning writer, a well-known and respected author and movie critic, and recognised for his acclaimed Anno Dracula series, he writes regularly for Empire magazine and contributes to The Guardian, The He was the winner at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography. He worked as a cinematographer for such renowned directors as Michael Haneke, Times, Sight and Sound, Time Out and others. He makes frequent appearances on radio and TV. He has Luc Bondy, Wolfgang Glück, Stephen Gaghan, Amos Gitai, Peter Sehr and Marie Noëlle, János Szász, won the Bram Stoker, International Horror Guild, British Fantasy and British Science Fiction Awards and Angelina Jolie, Virgil Widrich and Terrence Malick. been nominated for the Hugo, World Fantasy, and James Herbert Awards. His own projects (as director and cinematographer) include Raffl (1983/1984), Hanna Monster, Darling (1988/1989), Mautplatz / Tollgate (1994). Long one of England’s most distinguished horror specialists, Kim has, since publishing Nightmare Christian Berger is one of the most influential figures in the area of cinematography. Movies in 1988, become the first point of contact for any wise documentarist or writer probing the spookier areas of cinema history. Newman’s first two books were both non-fiction: Ghastly Beyond WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION The workshop will focus on a number of topics in the art of cinematography, especially the topic of light. Belief: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of Quotations, co-written with his friend Neil Gaiman, is You will have the chance to not only receive knowledge from Christian Berger, but also to interact in a a light-hearted tribute to entertainingly bad prose in fantastic fiction, and Nightmare Movies: A Critical compelling way, as the group will have up to 25 participants, making it extremely practical and interactive. History of the Horror Film. Nightmare Movies was followed by Millennium Movies: End of the World You will also have the opportunity to assess any issues you have encountered in your own films and receive Cinema (1999). Newman’s non-fiction also includes the BFI Companion to Horror (1996). With Video feedback to help mitigate problems in the future. Dungeon he gives often scathing reviews of recently released straight-to-video horror films. PROFILE OF PARTICIPANT The workshop is designed for cinematographers, camera operators, gaffers, directors, film students, or Kim will be in discussion with Robert J Simpson. anyone serious about a career in the film business in the area of cinematography.

40 41 Banned in Belfast CinePunked’s Offensive NEVER FORGET: Tribeca and the on-screen crescent arts centre. thursday 9th APRIL. 7.00PM. £8 Comedy Kitten COLIN MCKEOWN regeneration of Belfast crescent arts centre. monday 6th APRIL. 7.00PM. £8 crescent arts centre. saturday 4th APRIL. 8.00PM. £8 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. wednesday 1st APRIL. 2.00PM. £8

In the summer of 1973, Belfast City CinePunked invite you to join them A Filmmaker’s Personal History of QUB Film Research presents: Dr Steve Council was “focused beyond the for an evening of comedy on screen, Northern Irish Cinema. Baker, Lecturer in Television and Film escalating unrest on the streets and and ask the questions – are there Studies, Ulster University. firmly fixated on the cinematic souls of limits to what we joke about? Has In Conversation with Hugh its citizens”. the ‘snowflake’ generation gone too Odling-Smee. Since the beginning of the peace process, Belfast has far with political correctness? been subject to various ideas and strategies, many of This illustrated talk will explore film censorship in A special live event featuring a wealth of clips which took flight at the end of the Cold War with the Northern Ireland – what the local censors allow us to Dr Rachael Kelly and Robert Simpson lead the covering the history of Northern Ireland on ‘triumph of capitalism’. These are often complementary ; proposing peace through the application of see and what they prohibit. Exploring historical case conversation with comedy clips and special guests. screen: the beautiful, the ridiculous, the sublime and the malign. Filmmaker Colin McKeown neo-liberal nostrums; combining brand theory with studies and drawing attention to films includingLast presents his personal history of the stories told by state-craft in pursuit of global competitiveness; or Tango in Paris, Ourselves Alone and Frankenstein, No area is off-limits. us and about us. He will screen selections from his promoting the city and the surrounding region as a this talk will indicate how a patchwork system of local new essay film:Bad News & Good Vibrations: NI location for the creative industries. censorship keeps a firm rein on what we are permitted on Screen as well as previewing Never Forget - his to see in the cinema. tribute to Alan Clarke’s Elephant. Belfast is, of course, not unique among post-conflict and post-industrial regions looking for ways to remedy Dr Sian Barber is a Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at “Colin has been guru, guide and co-conspirator in all our script economic maladies. Illustrative of such designs is development endeavors over the years, most recently on the feature Queen’s University Belfast. She has published on the films Good Vibrations and Ordinary Love.” Lisa Barros D’Sa Castlebrooke Investments plans for ‘Tribeca Belfast’, British Board of Film Classification, the British Film and in particular its short film promoting the project. Industry and film culture in the 1970s and 1980s. It alerts us to how potentially superficial and bland the vision of the future city is.

In particular, it raises questions about the quality of citizenship that we can anticipate in such developments.

Image source: Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)

42 43 MICHAEL SMILEY crescent arts centre. friday 3rd APRIL. 7.30PM. £8 JEREMY THOMAS Actor and comedian Michael Smiley joins us for Desert Island in conversation with MARK COUSINS Flicks. Brian Henry Martin is the host for this cinematic cross CRESECNT ARTS CENTRE. tuesday 7th April. 7.30PM. £8 examination.

Once more Belfast Film Festival will bring a guest back in time to the darkness of their local “Roxy” and Many film producers make money, some even win Oscars, but ask them to revive their best cinema experiences in response to questions like “What is your first cinema few make great art. Jeremy Thomas has done the lot. Mark memory?”, “Who gets you hot under the collar?”, and “What movie do people love that you can’t stand?”. Cousins in conversation with a very British maverick. We have the wonderful Michael Smiley as our guest to talk about his choices and his wonderful career Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas has worked on some of the world’s finest independent films. to date in the world of film and television. His film credits include Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, A Field His C.V. covers an extraordinary range of distinctive films from The Last Emperor (Bernardo Bertolucci) in England and Kill List in which he received a best supporting actor award at the British Independent and Bad Timing (Nic Roeg), through to the recent High Rise (Ben Wheatley) and A Dangerous Film Awards. Other roles include Rogue One, The Lobster, Burke and Hare and The Other Boleyn Girl. Method (David Cronenberg). He has worked with directors who read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of world cinema, Michael’s TV credits include cult British sitcom Spaced, where he played the role of Tyres O’Flaherty including Nagisa Oshima, Bernardo Bertolucci, Terry Gilliam, Takashi Miike and Stephen Frears amongst on the show, and later appeared in Shaun of the Dead as a zombified take on his Spaced character. others. He also went on to have a recurring role as computer expert Benny in BBC 1’s multi-award-winning show Luther. Additional credits include BBC’s Ripper Street, Doctor Who, and Channel 4’s Black Mirror. He has helped develop the career of first-time feature filmmakers such as Jonathan Glazer withSexy Beast and David Mackenzie with Young Adam, and with his Recorded Picture Company he has achieved that Michael has also been a successful stand-up for 20 years. most remarkable feat in the film business: longevity and integrity.

This event will also provide an opportunity to check out Michael’s Short Film Directorial Debut with In this innovative event Jeremy Thomas speaks to Mark Cousins about his influences and inspirations. La Petite Mor which tells the story of two people meeting in a park only to realise they have more in common than they think.

44 45 I KNOW WHERE IM GOING! QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. sunday 5TH APRIL. 3.30PM. £6.50/£4

Preceded by a talk by Professor Ian Christie on the work of Powell and Pressburger.

“I reached the point of thinking there were no more masterpieces to discover, until I saw I Know Where I’m Going!“. Martin Scorsese “Sitting in the dark watching a film really is the nearest thing to having a dream while you’re awake. And I think it touches very deep unconscious fears and desires“. Ian Christie The war is a distant backdrop in this unconventional romance largely set in the Scottish Hebrides, where a city girl is transplanted into a rural environment and comes to question her preconceptions. It was perhaps Powell and Pressburger’s most personal film to date: a metaphysical love story which confirmed their continuing departure from Britain’s realist tradition. Ian Christie is a film historian, curator and broadcaster, who has had a special interest in Powell and Pressburger since organising the first comprehensive retrospective of their work in 1978. Among his many books are Arrows of Desire (1985, 1993) on Powell and Pressburger, an edition of the screenplay of their Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, and a co-edited anthology (with Andrew Moor) celebrating the centenary of Michael Powell in 2005. He has recorded commentaries to a number of their films on DVD, and recently gave a Gresham College series of lectures on The Archers’ partnership. A past president of Europa Cinemas and Fellow of the British Academy, Christie contributes regularly to radio and television programmes, and has recently been touring an exhibition about the British film pioneer Robert Paul, who is the subject of his latest book.

DIRECTED BY: MICHAEL POWELL, EMERIC PRESSBURGER. www.mollysyard.co.uk for details YEAR: 1945. COUNTRY: UK. DURATION: 91MINS. CERT: U. Molly’s Yard is part of the HIlden Brewing Co.

46 47

Belfast Film Festival Ad RL2 PRINT.indd 1 28/02/2019 07:47 SPECIAL EVENTS

SAY AMEN, SOMEBODY With The Belfast Gospel Choir Rosemary street Church. Friday 3rd April. 8.00PM. £8

Exuberant, joyous and deeply moving, this acclaimed documentary film celebrates American gospel music, spotlighting giants of the business. The Belfast Community Gospel Choir will perform a 25 minute set before the film. Hailed as the ‘Soul of Belfast,’ their performances are charged with passion and energy, while the sheer joy they exude is infectious! This masterful and beautifully restored film captures show-stopping musical performances interwoven with fascinating intimate, behind-the-scenes personal moments. With unrivalled access, the film pays tribute to the lives and careers of Gospel music’s luminaries. These include ‘Mother’ Willie Mae Ford Smith, gospel’s diva and earth mother – a skilful singer and preacher who championed equality for women – and ‘Professor’ Thomas A Dorsey, a blues player who turned to the church and also became a prolific composer. Spotlighting the work of other artists such as Sallie Martin, the Barrett Sisters and the O’Neal Twins, this extraordinarily infectious and deeply emotional concert film is a truly uplifting experience.

DIRECTED BY: GEORGE T NIERENBERG. YEAR: 1982. DURATION: 101MINS. CERT: PG. SALES MILESTONE FILM & VIDEO.

48 49 THE RED BALLOON LIVE SOUNDTRACK AFRICAN GAZE the mac THEATRE. tuesday 7TH APRIL. 3.00 & 7.00PM. £6.50/£4 black box & beanbag cinema. wednesday 1st-thursday 9th APRIL. 11.00am-5.00PM. free.

A film concert, good for the eyes and the ears, an experience Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood film posters from Ghana for adults and children! from the Collection of Karun Thakar & the late Mark Shivas.

Into Film in partnership with Belfast Film Festival. The late 1980s in Ghana saw the emergence of exuberant new visual modes of expression in a new local The Red Balloon remains one of the most beloved children’s films of all time. In this deceptively simple, and innovative film industry (alongside that of Nigeria commonly referred to as Nollywood), especially in nearly wordless tale, a young boy discovers a stray balloon, which seems to have a mind of its own, on the ways films were promoted by vivid hand-painted posters on sack or canvass. the streets of Paris. The two become inseparable, yet the world’s harsh realities finally interfere. With These film posters were commissioned by mobile local entrepreneurs taking the films to a range of its glorious palette and allegorical purity, the Academy Award–winning The Red Balloon has enchanted communities and using the cloth posters that could be rolled up, unfurled and transported very easily as movie lovers, young and old, for generations. they criss-crossed the country. 60 years later, to give voice to this urban stroll, François Ripoche, Lætitia Shériff and Stéphane Louvain Their iconography emphasised the melodramatic, combining a blend of elements that drew on the have created a soundtrack, interpreted live, which combines soundscape, elements of dialogue, voice-over local beliefs that intersected with the range of popular imported films, such as the imagery of America’s and music. The three musicians pay him a vibrant pop tribute inviting you to fly alongside them. Hollywood and India’s Bollywood that were also shown in Ghana. Show for Child | Family | Music. This exhibition of over 30 of these extraordinary film posters, from the Collection of Karun Thakar & the From 6 years old. late Mark Shivas (TV & Film producer). Presented by Into Film in partnership with Belfast Film Festival. In association with The Mac. CONTAINS IMAGERY OF NUDITY, VIOLENCE AND THE ‘OCCULT’ THAT SOME VISITORS MAY FIND DISTURBING OR OFFENSIVE. CERT: 15+. STÉPHANE LOUVAIN, GUITAR AND VOCALS. FRANÇOIS RIPOCHE, DRUMS AND CHOIR LAETITIA SHÉRIFF, BARITONE GUITAR AND VOCALS. DIRECTED BY: ALBERT LAMORISSE. YEAR: 1956. COUNTRY: FRANCE. DURATION: 34MINS. CERT: 6+.

50 51 VR FILMS FROM AFRICA QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE. friday 3rd -thursday 9th APRIL. 4.00-9.00PM. free FOOTLOOSE AT THE TITANIC BALLROOM Running throughout the festival, 3pm to 9pm, at the QFT foyer. titanic ballroom. Thursday 2nd APRIL. 8.00PM. £7 Come in and try the experience, admission free and no need for advance booking. Everybody…cut loose. This collection of VR shorts shows how new technologies can open up spaces for original voices and underrepresented narratives. Yeah. That’s right. Footloose. Geez this world is so uptight Let This Be A Warning right now. Like John Lithgow’s minister in this movie who bans Synopsis: A group of Africans have left the Earth to create a colony on a distant planet. They respond with disquiet to the arrival of an uninvited guest. Directed by: Jim Chuchu (“The Nest Collective”). Duration: 10MINS 43SECS dancing in a small midwestern town for some jackass reason. Nairobi Berries In the empty spaces we cannot claim as our own, in forests full of smoke and beneath waters dappled with bougainvillea, two women and a man wrangle. Each must hollow out the other’s core for fruits promised but only ever borne, in dreams. For this is Nairobi, the place we call home. We gotta be like Kevin Bacon’s Ren McCormack. That’s right. Dancing is great. Dancing is an affirmative Directed by: Ng’endo Mukii. Duration: 7MINS 50SECS expression – pump up the Kenny Loggins, rebel, and get Footloose! Spirit Robot VR documentary which explores the Chale Wote Street Art Festival in Accra. Directed by: Jonathan Dotse. Duration: 8MINS 35SECS. Director’s Biography: Jonathan Dotse is an afrofuturist, freelance philosopher, and speculative fiction writer based in Accra, Ghana. Moving in from Chicago, newcomer Ren McCormack discovers that the small Midwestern town has made The Other Dakar dancing and rock music illegal. Ren faces an uphill battle to change things as he struggles to fit in. He and A little girl is chosen to discover the invisible Dakar. Filmmakers Note: The Other Dakar is a manifesto in a sense, it is for me a way to reconnect the his new friend, Willard Hewitt, and a defiant teen Ariel Moore try to loosen up this conservative town even urban space with its mythology and to use design and creativity as a platform for the invisible Dakar to express her uniqueness. In a time where if it means standing up against Ariel’s influential father, Reverend Shaw Moore. materialism occupies the mainstream, there is a need to re-invest imaginary spaces and use them as a fertile soil for the necessary adjustments we need to implement as a country facing several cultural and political changes. Directed by: Selly Raby Kane. Duration: 7MINS 35SECS. Azimuth The term ‘azimuth’ is derived from Arabic and denotes a measurement in a spherical space. Azimuth is a short fashion VR film that explores stylised Brutalist architectures as a triptych to fashion performances and an immersive ambisonics original score. It is an experimentation of 360° live action filming with underwater, aerial and drone rigging and composites digital 3D assets from Lidar scanning and photogrammetry. Conceptualised and produced in South Africa, Azimuth is testimony to collaborative practice and digital fashion expressions from a Global South..

Directed by: Nirma Madhoo. Duration: 7MINS. DIRECTED BY: HERBERT ROSS. YEAR: 1984. DURATION: 1HR 47MINS. COUNTRY: USA. CERT: 15+.

52 53 Whisky Galore! Hotel Transylvania Cat Video Festival Film Devour Short Film On HMS Caroline. On HMS Caroline. blackbox. friday 3rd APRIL.7.30PM. £6 Festival #25 hms caroline. saturday 4TH APRIL. 7.00PM. £6.50/£4 hms caroline. saturday 4TH APRIL. 3.00PM. £6.50/£4 Black Box. MONDAY 6TH APRIL. 7.00PM. £5

A wartime whisky shortage. Luck of Where better to see this aquatic Attention Cat Lovers, this is for Film Devour Short Film Festival luck, a ship full of the precious liquid adventure than on the HMS Caroline. you… provides a platform for local filmmakers, is wrecked on a reef. The islanders writers and actors to screen their films, conspire to smuggle the whisky off In the third Transylvania film we join the team on We welcome this special tour to network and co-ordinate ideas. the ship...what better place to watch a luxury monster cruise ship. Dracula meets Ericka, Northern Ireland! this movie and drink a whisky than on the captain of the ship, who belongs to the family Catering to all kinds of filmmakers and genres, showing of Van Helsing that wants to destroy the entire board the HMS Caroline! The Cat Video Festival is an offline celebration everything from first time shorts to experimental and monster race. of cat videos. The festival is a live event, gathering documentaries as well as more established short films fellow feline fanatics to watch a curated collection with a budget. Released in what was a vintage year for the famous Join Drac, Mavis and all of your favorite monsters “Ealing comedies”, this near-perfect film is irreverent, for fun and adventure on the high seas as they of cat clips, from six-second Vine videos to anti-authoritarian and utterly hilarious – all the embark on a monster cruise vacation! short films and everything in between in a social Audience Choice And Directors’ Choice awards qualities that made Ealing a byword for the best in environment. CatVideoFest is a compilation announced on the night. British comedy. The effects of World War II have Fun and idiosyncratic in its classic horror movie references, this sweet reel of the latest and best cat videos culled from shrunk the whisky ration to nothing on the far-flung and raucous kids comedy is a worthy placeholder between Disney countless hours of unique submissions and The ethos is to showcase everything to everyone. offerings. Francis X. Friel Scottish island of Todday – so when a supply ship sourced animations, music videos, and, of course, carrying 50,000 cases is wrecked, the locals decide to classic internet powerhouses. CatVideoFest is a “The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.” Alfred Hitchcock take matters into their own hands. joyous communal experience, only available in theatres, and raises money for cats in need through Based on a true story. The name of the real ship, partnerships with local cat charities, animal welfare which sank on 5th February 1941 during WWII, organisations, and shelters. was SS Politician. Having left Liverpool two days earlier, heading for Jamaica, it sank in bad weather, Join your fellow cat lovers for this celebration of containing 250,000 bottles of whisky. The locals hilarious, odd, and downright adorable videos. gathered as many bottles as they could, before the You love them. You mock them. But one thing you can’t do is stop proper authorities arrived, and even today bottles are watching them. Yes, we’re talking about Internet cat videos. Which found in the sand or in the sea every other year. either represent the pinnacle of human creative achievement, or a sign In association with HMS Caroline. that the apocalypse is nigh. Or both. LOS ANGELES TIMES

DIRECTED BY: ALEXANDER MACKENDRICK. YEAR: 1949. DIRECTED BY: GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY. YEAR: 2018. COUNTRY: USA. COUNTRY: UK. DURATION: 83MINS. CERT: PG. DURATION: 1HR 37MINS. CERT: U.

54 55 Mad Max: Fury Road The Music of James Bond BELFAST FILM FESTIVAL QUIZ THE OCCASIONAL MAN sonic arts research lab. sATURDAY 4TH APRIL. 3.00 & 6.00PM. £8 Ulster OrchestrA blackbox. sunday 5TH APRIL. 1.00PM. £3 utv studios. SATURDAY 4TH APRIL. 6.00-9.00PM. free Waterfront HalL. SATURDAY 4TH APRIL. 7.45PM. £20/£30

To mark the release of the next enthralling James Bond movie in April, the Ulster Orchestra invites See and hear George Miller’s modern you to join them for this spectacular Did you know the snow coming The Occasional Man is an immersive film classic with full dolby Atmos at the tribute to the iconic 007 film down in the Wizard of Oz was installation following the protagonist unique Sonic Arts Research Lab. franchise and some of the greatest actually asbestos-based fake ‘Duncan’, a recently retired Glaswegian theme tunes ever written. snowflakes? (If you did this is the embarking on a failed attempt to Set in Australia years after a nuclear war has scorched quiz for you.) become an actor. The audience will the Earth, the film follows Max Rockatansky as he Featuring West End star Louise Dearman Wicked be guided through scenes from his joins a band of women fleeing a brutal warlord. and Strictly Come Dancing singer Lance Join hosts Joe Lindsay and Ronan O’Donnell for disillusioned life, across several rooms Ellington, this spine-tingling show features hit the ultimate annual screen test for movie buffs – of the former UTV Studios at Havelock As metal clashes and flames erupt, the sound is as after hit including Diamonds Are Forever, Skyfall, the Belfast Film Festival Quiz. House. important as the explosive visuals, surrounding the Goldfinger, Live And Let Die, Licence To Kill and audience with a symphony of warfare. Fury Road is more. Prepare to face an entertaining eight rounds of big an intense two-hour chase sequence underscored by a The piece is a collaborative effort from Sighle screen puzzles, mysterious soundtracks and cine Bhreathnach-Cashell (Belfast) and Richard Martin muscular soundtrack. It’s a celebration of everything So pour yourself a martini, don your best attire and surprises. So get your team together, make sure (Glasgow). action movies should aspire to be, and one of the best leave the Aston Martin at home. It’s your mission to they know their Shia LaBeouf from their Brad Dolby Atmos demonstrations available. have an amazing night out! Dourif and let the games begin. The project has been made in partnership with Flax For ticket sales telephone Waterfront Hall and Art Studios and Northern Ireland Screen Digital Film Teams must be no more than a Magnificent 6 – Archive. Ulster Hall Box Office on 02890 334455. and there will be prizes for finishing first, last and a few spot prizes along the way. Or visit our website: www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk Allocated time slots from 6-9pm. Free but ticketed, bookings must be made in advance via [email protected]

DIRECTED BY: GEORGE MILLER. YEAR: 2016. COUNTRY: AUSTRALIA. DURATION: 120MINS. CERT: 15+.

56 57 TOM WAITS ON SCREEN The Shapes Between Us: black box.Thursday 9TH APRIL. 8.00PM. £6.50/£4 NI Rave Culture on Film ulster sports club. thursday 9th April. 7.00PM. £5 Our tribute to the work of one of America’s greatest songwriter/ performers. Featuring footage from his early days to the Out of all the subcultures that have come and gone, dance present, with concert performances, music videos, interviews music had maybe the biggest impact on the styles, culture and and more as part of this celebration. politics of any.

In the work of American songwriter Tom Waits, swampy blues, Beat poetry, West Coast jazz, Tin Pan Alley, Whether it was in fields in the middle of North Antrim and Down, or how the scene lives on in today’s country, 1930s-era cabaret, and post-Civil War parlour songs meet neon-lit carnival music and wheezing, superclubs, dance music in Northern Ireland changed the way young people engaged with their own lives clattering, experimental rhythms, often played on makeshift musical instruments from car radios to metal and with each other. pipes and tin cans, to form a keenly individual musical universe. This special night, presented by Film Hub NI, will see a collection of archive films, curated by Second Chance Cinema, that takes us back to a time when strange new words entered the Northern Irish teenage Since the 70s, Waits has charted a path from playing fleabag dive bars to opera theatres and prestigious lexicon: words like peace, unity, love. Our journey begins in the 1980s, where rave presented a much concert halls all over the world. needed space for escapism from day-to-day life, a place for some pure, ecstatic fun. After the films, we’ll gather some of the scene’s leading figures to discuss what the impact of the dance scene has been, and how it still lives today. We’ll finish the night (and festival) off with some banging tunes and archive film visuals.

DURATION: 2HRS. CERT: 18.

58 59 tv eye

John Lloyd in conversation with Peter Curran crescent arts centre. wednesday 8th April. 7.00PM. £7

John Lloyd is best known for his work on such comedy television programmes as Not the Nine O’Clock News, Spitting Image, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Blackadder and QI. He is also the presenter of the BBC Radio 4 series The Museum of Curiosity.

Who has got more BAFTA awards than anyone else in the world, except for Dame Judi Dench? Who devised and/or produced such iconic British TV and radio series as Spitting Image, Blackadder, Not the Nine O’Clock News, Quote … Unquote, The Museum of Curiosities and QI? Who collaborated with Douglas Adams on the iconic radio series Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy and rose to such heights as playing the Voice of the Book in the latest instalment? What’s the name of the one and only Honorary Professor of Ignorance at Southampton Solent University? The answer to each of these questions is the same: John Hardress Lloyd, the legendary producer, director, writer, raconteur, presenter and comedian. Peter Curran is a writer, producer, broadcaster and publisher with a host of BBC Radio 4 credits. He has written and presented many arts and culture programmes for TV and radio including a long stint presenting Radio 4’s Loose Ends. Recent radio documentaries include Collecting the Troubles and Some Kind of Man as well as an appearance on Telling Tales. In 2017, he was nominated for two Audio Production Awards – as Best Arts Documentary Maker, and best Digital Producer.

60 61 Play for Today at 50 Iris in the Traffic...Ruby in the Rain Curated by John Hill QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. wednesday 8TH APRIL. 8.30PM. £6.50/£4

Play for Today was launched on BBC1 in October 1970 and ran Belfast playwright Stewart Parker achieved growing until 1984, commanding audiences of several millions. recognition during the 1970s and was responsible for three Plays for Today. Of these, Iris in the Traffic … Ruby in the Rain It is generally recognised to be a hugely important series of television dramas, responsible for over 300 single (1981), written specifically for television, is undoubtedly the plays of often striking originality and invention. The series also acquired a reputation for its willingness to address contemporary subject-matter as well as court controversy (perhaps most famously in the cases of best. Dennis Potter’s Brimstone and Treacle (1976) and Roy Minton’s Scum (1977)). Shot in part in Belfast, it follows the mini-odysseys of Iris and Ruby, two women initially unknown to This was also true of some of thePlays for Today dealing with Northern Ireland such as Dominic Behan’s each other, during the course of a day in the city. Although set firmly during the Troubles, the play is less Carson Country (1972) and Caryl Churchill’s The Legion Hall Bombing (1978), both of which were only concerned with the politics of the conflict than the ways in which the characters respond to the more transmitted after considerable delay. However, Play for Today was also notable for the encouragement it immediate personal and ethical challenges that confront them. Frances Tomelty delivers a fine performance gave to a range of local writers such as Wilson John Haire, Stewart Parker, Ron Hutchinson, Derek Mahon as Ruby, the social psychologist at the end of her tether, singer Jake Burns appears in a small role as a friend and Graham Reid (whose Billy plays with Kenneth Branagh proved especially popular) to write about the of Ruby, while Stiff Little Fingers are not only heard on the soundtrack but also perform at a gig attended situation in Northern Ireland in new and distinctive ways. To mark the fiftieth anniversary ofPlay for by Iris (Aingeal Grehan). Today, this mini-season presents three of the local plays to have emerged out of the North of Ireland during The screening will be preceded by an Introduction toPlay for Today and Northern Ireland by its fourteen-year run. Professor John Hill. John Hill is Professor of Media at Royal Holloway, University of London and author of Cinema and Northern Ireland.

In association with Centre for the History of Television Culture and Production, Royal Holloway, University of London. DIRECTED BY: JON AMIEL. WRITTEN BY: STEWART PARKER. PRODUCER: JUNE ROBERTS. YEAR: 1981. DURATION: 65MINS. COUNTRY: N.I. CERT: PG.

62 63 Shadows on our Skin The Cry TV EYE THROWBACK the bad sister beanbag cinema.thursday 2nd APRIL. 6.30PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. saturday 4th APRIL. 4.00PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. sunday 5th APRIL. 5.00PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. wednesday 8th APRIL. 7.00PM. £6.50/£4

Two classic 80s TV shows featuring the troubles as a backdrop, Tubbs, Crockett and Magnum get on the wrong side of the IRA. MIAMI VICE Jennifer Johnston’s novel of a young First published in 1964, John Gina falls for an Irish pacifist who believes there is Shot on videotape for Channel boy, Joe, growing up in war-torn Montague’s short story, The Cry, has no point fighting fire with fire anymore – or so she 4, The Bad Sister is a complex and thinks. While investigating a tip about a possible Derry was published in 1977 and then been seen to anticipate the crisis to weapons deal, Gina saves former IRA member fragmentary adaptation of Emma turned into a Play for Today by Belfast come at the end of the 1960s. Sean Carroon (Liam Neeson) from an assassination Tennant’s novel of the same name. poet Derek Mahon. attempt, then becomes romantically involved with Adapted by Belfast poet Derek Mahon and director him. Carroon, who claims to have renounced his Here Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen return to violent ways, is now a vocal proponent of peace A sombre coming-of-age story in which Joe is forced Chris Menaul for television in 1984, the play now some of the concerns that occupied them in Riddles between England and Northern Ireland. Vice to come to terms with the realities and conflicts of the of the Sphinx (1977), offering them a very different becomes a melancholic look back at the origins of teams up with a Scotland Yard detective, who adult world, the play was unusual in actually being the conflict to follow. In one of his first television is certain Carroon is using his avowed pacifism treatment. The film also sees them collaborate once filmed in Derry at the time. Director Jim O’Brien roles, a very young-looking Adrian Dunbar plays as cover while he plots an attack on England. again with Tammes, with whom they worked on many (who went on to work on The Jewel in the Crown a London-based journalist on a visit to his home Crockett and Tubbs go undercover as weapons of their joint works. and The Monocled Mutineer) invests the play with town. Woken up by the cries of a local youth dealers and discover that, indeed, Carroon has been purchasing surface-to-air missiles as part of a strong sense of place while folk musician Donal being set upon by the RUC, he embarks upon an Jane is the illegitimate daughter of a Scottish landowner. a plot to bring down the Concorde. Heartbroken, Lunny contributes a memorable soundtrack. She is disowned and expelled from his estates, but investigation that uncovers the social and political Gina tries to stop the attack, and ends up shooting tensions simmering below the surface. Supported by and killing her lover. although she settles down to a new life in London, she a strong local cast, Dunbar gives a fine performance is still haunted by the memory of her childhood and her MAGNUM P.I. as the troubled journalist who is forced to take stock mother’s mysterious death. In a trance, she sets out on Magnum is hired to protect a British Brigadier dreamlike journeys in search of freedom and revenge. of his views. who is hunted by the IRA. Higgins opens Robin’s Nest to his former Royal Army commander, Brig. Allistair Folkes. Having been instrumental in capturing several IRA terrorists, Folkes is now faced with the challenge of staying alive long enough to testify against them. In his efforts to keep Folkes out of harm’s way, Magnum is frustrated by a pair of taciturn Naval Intelligence secret service agents who refuse to tell him anything more about the assignment than what DIRECTED BY: JIM O’BRIEN. WRITTEN BY: DEREK MAHON. DIRECTED BY: CHRIS MENAUL. WRITTEN BY: DEREK MAHON, CHRIS he already knows – which, truth to tell, isn’t very PRODUCED BY: KENITH TRODD. YEAR: 1980. COUNTRY: N.I. MENAUL. PRODUCED BY: CHRIS PARR. YEAR: 1984. COUNTRY: N.I. DIRECTED BY: LAURA MULVEY. YEAR: 1983. DURATION: 80MINS. CERT: PG. DURATION: 55MINS. CERT: PG. much! COUNTRY: UK. DURATION: 93MINS. CERT: 18.

64 65 The Club VHYES At Ulster Sports Club beanbag cinema.wednesday 1st APRIL. 6.30PM. £8 ulster sports club. wednesday 1st APRIL. 7.30PM. £8

Join Kinky John, Mandate and Les VHYes is a brilliant comedy that Dennis in a celebration of Reeves and manages to lovingly parody the Mortimer’s classic TV serial The Club. television of an entire era while Your chance to see the whole serial. sustaining a heartwarming tale that could not have been told otherwise. The main event of Bang Bang was this spoof fly- spaced night on-the-wall docu-drama, which took us behind- A bizarre retro comedy shot entirely on VHS, black box.thursday 2nd APRIL. 7.30PM. £6.50/£4 the-scenes of Baron’s Nightclub, the “4th best club VHYes takes us back to a simpler time, when in Hull.” Paul Baron was the dodgy proprietor and twelve-year-old Ralph mistakenly records home Paul’s previously long-lost brother Tony was in charge videos and his favourite late night shows over his Plan 9 Film Club presents a celebration of Spaced, the UK parents’ wedding tape. The result is a nostalgic wave of the day-to-day running of the club, often expressing sitcom that ran for two seasons in 1999 and 2001. The creative of home shopping clips, censored pornography, and “serious reservations” about Paul’s half-baked ideas. nefarious true-crime tales that threaten to unkindly team subsequently moved into cinema, creating the hit movies The club’s compere was insane American Kinky John, rewind Ralph’s reality. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. whose “plucking peppercorns” routine was not one of Tony’s favourites. VHYes shares some DNA with the type of oddball sketches you’d find on Adult Swim, but Robbins has something to say beneath his chaos, and Spaced is a sitcom like no other. The premise is simple enough: Daisy (Jessica Stevenson) and Tim (Simon most importantly, a whole lot of heart. Collider Pegg) are out of luck and love, so pretend to be a couple in order to rent a flat together. Each episode is Before The Club we’ll have a screening of 1970s themed after at least one movie, with nods to The Shining and Close Encounters of the Third Kind proving TV show Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, The comedy here is high enough that simply being funny would have been enough, but VHYes strives for meaning as well, which is what makes the especially hilarious. Hardly five minutes goes by without aStar Wars reference, and every second of screen a game of bingo, a meat pie and a glass or two of film such a special delight. Birth.Movies.Death. time from Bill Bailey as owner of the comic shop where Tim works is comedic gold. stout. And the entertainment? Some of the best turns that clubland can offer. Among them, expect Tessie Join us as we celebrate one of TV’s best loved comedies. O’Shea, Bill Haley and the Comets, Tommy Trinder, Gene Pitney, and many other acts, from musicians to knife-throwers, fire-eaters to comedians and exotic dancers.

DIRECTED BY: JIM O’BRIEN. WRITTEN BY: DEREK MAHON. PRODUCED BY: KENITH TRODD. YEAR: 1980. COUNTRY: N.I. DIRECTED BY: JACK HENRY ROBBINS. YEAR: 2020. DURATION: 80MINS. CERT: 15+. COUNTRY: CANADA. DURATION: 72MINS. CERT: 15+.

66 67 REWIND

REFRAMING STREISAND: FUNNY GIRL black box.tuesday 7TH APRIL. 7.30PM. £6.50/£4

REFRAMING STREISAND is a Birds’ Eye View: Reclaim the Frame film tour celebrating Barbra Streisand’s contribution to cinema through her ever-popular musicals and exploring her status as a misunderstood superstar, powerhouse producer/ director and cultural icon. Reclaim The Frame is a UK-wide, 10 city mission bringing ever-greater audiences to films by women through events, celebration and conversation. At the beginning of her career, Streisand was considered by casting directors to be ‘too Jewish looking’. However, her charisma and singing voice saw Barbra land the lead in Funny Girl on Broadway and she was called to reprise her role for the musical film in 1968, where her tour-de-force performance of song, dance, comedy and drama earned her an Oscar for Best Actress. Streisand’s career has been marked by fierce criticism, yet Streisand has always been determined to do what she loves and be in charge of it – even as a newcomer she insisted on doing her own hair and make-up for Funny Girl . In spirit of this, join Birds’ Eye View for a special screening of Funny Girl . Get into character with a prefilm beehive and winged eyeliner workshop and stick around after the film for a Barbra-themed drag act – and don’t be afraid to sing along. Reframing Streisand is part of BFI Musicals! The Greatest Show on Screen, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery, BFI Film Audience Network and ICO. www.bfimusicals.co.uk

DIRECTED BY: WILLIAM WYLER. YEAR: 1968. DURATION: 149MINS. COUNTRY: USA. CERT: U.

68 69 Kiler DAY OF THE WACKO Flash Gordon At 40 Getting to Know the Big beanbag cinema.tuesday 7TH APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. friday 3rd APRIL. 7.00PM. £6.50/£4 QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. thursday 2nd APRIL. 5.00PM. £6.50/£4 Wide World beanbag cinema. monday 6th APRIL. 7.00PM. £6.50/£4

In Warsaw, Poland, a cab driver is A sad-sack neurotic tries to find ”Flash – ah ahhhhhh A construction site, a symbol of newness mistaken for an assassin and hired to solace from the nagging day-to- He’s a miracle!” and growth, serves as the background kill a gangster. day stresses of academic life in this To mark the 40th anniversary we to an impassioned and unresolved love melancholy comedy. have special screening of this camp triangle. Jurek K. the main prota,gonist of this action comedy, is a nice, thirty-year-old taxi driver. He is an average Marek Kondrat plays Adam, a lifelong teacher classic. man with exceptionally bad luck. One day Jurek’s butting up against school officials’ strident budget The drab terrain is little more than mud and cement, boring existence dramatically changes: he is arrested as cuts; to escape the madness of his life, he plans a Heroic earthling Flash Gordon saves the world but the sky is a blanket of colour and light, offering a professional hit man nicknamed “Killer”. Shy, a bit trek to the sea to re-evaluate his life. A black comedy from the nefarious Ming the Merciless in this the three confused lovers the glow of potential solace. with “humor ranging from sublime to nutty”, Time lost, Jurek starts a new life as a killer of international lavish, intentionally campy adaptation of the Against this landscape, the sensual, poetic and mundane fame. He is admired not only by the prisoners but also Out London calls it a “dolefully absurdist Polish famous sci-fi comic strip. The story is as basic beauty of Muratova’s vision elevates the everyday reality by policemen and prison guards. comedy of dejection and rejection. A nonstop screwball screed against the multitude of perceived as space operas get: Ming (Max von Sydow) has of Soviet society. After surviving many dangerous situations, car chases indignities in contemporary Poland, and, by association, the modern developed a plan to destroy the Earth, and Flash and other adventures Jurek wants to be himself again. world, irreverent social comedy “Day of the Wacko” sports a frazzled (Sam J. Jones) and his companion, Dale Arden, are The story of the construction of a tractor factory filmed But there are people for whom he is still a dangerous leading performance from Marek Kondrat as a histrionic misanthrope that makes Jack Nicholson’s turn in “As Good as It Gets” look positively called upon to stop him. in a way that was inconceivable at the time. Muratova criminal – a perfect (well almost) “killer”. serene. Variety uses a poetic cinematographic idiom to give shape to KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival returns to London’s KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival returns to The simplistic plot mainly serves as an excuse for the shapeless space, the unfinished building and the festival scene from 19 March to 5 April 2020, London’s festival scene from 19 March to 5 April spectacular sets and cartoonish action sequences, unstable relationships of the characters. She makes a bringing with it an exhilarating range of new Polish 2020, bringing with it an exhilarating range of film and culture as well as highlighting lesser known new Polish film and culture as well as highlighting all set to an appropriately over-the-top rock score tender movie about the shabby and at the same time gems ripe for rediscovery. Offering unique insights lesser known gems ripe for rediscovery. Offering by Queen. Certainly not a film to turn to for exalted completion of the building. In this lyrical film, into Poland’s rich history and culture, the festival unique insights into Poland’s rich history and serious excitement, fine performances, or character picturesque images merge with lifelike scenes, larded represents diverse and universal new works from culture, the festival represents diverse and universal development, Flash Gordon has nevertheless with intermezzos in folksy and Socialist settings. exciting new filmmakers as well as those which have new works from exciting new filmmakers as well as developed an appreciative cult of fans who admire made a valued contribution and impact to the world those which have made a valued contribution and the film’s humorous approach and the detailed, This film is selected as a complementary screening to filmmaking landscape. impact to the world filmmaking landscape. colorful production design. Women Make Film (see page 13.)

DIRECTED BY: JULIUSZ MACHULSKI. YEAR: 1997. DIRECTED BY: MAREK KOTERSKI. YEAR: 2003. COUNTRY: POLAND. DIRECTED BY: MIKE HODGES, LORENZO SEMPLE JR. YEAR: 1980. DIRECTED BY: KIRA MURATOVA. YEAR: 1979. COUNTRY: POLAND. DURATION: 104MINS. CERT: 12A. DURATION: 93MINS. CERT: 15. COUNTRY: USA. DURATION: 111MINS. CERT: PG. COUNTRY: RUSSIA. DURATION: 75MINS. CERT: 18.

70 71 Pakeezah Les Demoiselles de Panelstory The Tied Up Balloon QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. wednesday 8TH APRIL. 3.30PM. £6.50/£4 Rochefort beanbag cinema. thursday 9th APRIL. 6.30PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. wednesday 8th APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. friday 3rd APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4

One of the most extraordinary musical Presented by the Belfast Frenchie Vera Chytilová is known for her A large balloon suddenly appears melodramas ever made and a cult Club. Adding dance to the magical classic Daisies but this later film above villages and fields and grabs the classic, Pakeezah is much beloved mix that made his earlier The is one of her best, a pleasurable attention of the peasants. They start by audiences for Meena Kumari’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg such a and provocative morality play set liking the sudden guest from nowhere breathtakingly tragic turn as the delight, Jacques Demy here creates inside decaying, failed utopian for the beauty of the free existence. doomed Sahibjaan, who is born in a one of the most stylish and joyously housing projects in Communist A policeman comes and the dreams of graveyard to a dying mother who was exuberant musicals ever made. Czechoslovakia. freedom vanish. once a famed courtesan. Panelstory bursts with Chytilová’s unique stylistic “Why is Binka Zhelyazkova’s name not known to all movie lovers? It makes me Set over one weekend in a pastel-painted Rochefort, angry. In this film she shows her style, her daring, her sense of fun. We’re in Taken in by her aunt she follows in her mother’s flair and a keenly attuned moral sensibility. Vérité- Demy’s sometimes poignant, always exhilarating style camerawork roams amid the rubble and up Bulgaria in the communist times. A mysterious, massive balloon drifts over footsteps but a chance encounter leads to her falling a village. As a result, surreal things take place. Is the balloon a symbol, masterpiece concerns various characters – twins in love with a man she cannot marry. Forbidden and down the dysfunctional apartment blocks, or an envoy, or a piece of absurdism? What a beautifully shot film. What a who teach dance and music (real life siblings beautifully thought out film.” Mark Cousins love, homosocial women’s space, glittering fountains, checking in with an ensemble cast of characters rainbows of silk and gold filigree as far as the eye can Deneuve and Dorléac), their café-proprietor going about their daily lives. mother (Danielle Darrieux), a music-shop owner, This film is selected as a complementary screening to see and even some rampaging elephants – Pakeezah The film’s creator enriches her multi-generational Women Make Film (see page 13.) has it all, including an ending that punishes fear of his American composer friend, an artist in the navy portrait by employing both amateur and difference and parental intervention in matters of the and a couple of visiting carnival performers – all experienced, professional actors. heart. involved in a search for love and happiness. Few films from its time are so openly The film was written and directed by Kamal Amrohi Michel Legrand’s best-ever score, Demy’s witty scenario, Bernard critical of state socialism, and it’s a marvel who was a poet and writer and only ever made four Evein’s stunning art direction and the playing of all concerned make that Panelstory managed to be made at all before for a wonderfully summery celebration of life’s seductive capacity to films, with Pakeezah’s production spanning 14 years surprise and, just occasionally, to match our dreams. being banned. Subsequently, it has been very rarely in total. Kumari was his third wife and a famous Geoff Andrew shown internationally. Hindi tragedienne. Featuring one of the most famous This film is selected as a complementary screening soundtracks in Bollywood history, Pakeezah is now to Women Make Film (see page 13.) available to screen for the first time on DCP with subtitling by Munni Kabir.

DIRECTED BY: KAMAL AMROHI. YEAR: 1972. DIRECTED BY: JACQUES DEMY. YEAR: 1967. COUNTRY: FRANCE. DIRECTED BY: VERA CHYTILOVÁ. YEAR: 1980. DIRECTED BY: BINKA ZHELYAZKOVA. YEAR: 1967. COUNTRY: INDIA. DURATION: 147MINS. CERT: PG. DURATION: 126MINS. CERT: PG. COUNTRY: CZECHOSLOVAKIA. DURATION: 96MINS. CERT: 18. COUNTRY: BULGARIA. DURATION: 1HR 38MINS. CERT: 15.

72 73 GOODFELLAS ON 35MM The War of the Roses strand arts centre. tuesday 7TH APRIL. 8.15PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. saturday 4TH APRIL. 7.00PM. £6.50/£4

Featuring a video introduction by Danny DeVito and composer David Newman and, after the screening, “As far back as I can remember, I experience an intimate video always wanted to be a gangster. To me, interview with Director DeVito and being a gangster was better than being Producer James L. Brooks recorded President of the United States.” at the Fox Studios screening room.

For legal reasons, we can’t imply there’s currently not “Once in a lifetime comes a movie that makes you hanna monster, darling much difference or we might be impeached… no wait, fall in love again. This is not that movie!” What a QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 2. sunday 5TH APRIL. 8.30PM. £6.50/£4 we’re bound to get off! tagline. Beautifully remastered in 4k, this film is best enjoyed with an audience. Long before The Irishman, there were Goodfellas. “A remarkable, lost classic of feminist film, directed by one of Strand Arts Centre celebrates 30 years of this other In the 80s, cinema had a comedically adventurous Scorsese gangster masterpiece, a gritty, kinetic modern cinema’s most subtle image-makers. It starts like sci-fi, trio consisting of a romantic couple and its third adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s best-selling Wiseguy. wheel in Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and but morphs into a poetic road movie centred on a great physical Young Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), with his friends Jimmy Danny DeVito. They had gone through some performance by Marika Green.” Mark Cousins (Robert De Niro) and Tommy (Oscar-winning Joe Indiana Jones-inspired adventures in Romancing The film will be introduced by Christian Berger and Marika Green. Directed by Christian Pesci), begins the climb from being a petty criminal to The Stone and its sequel Jewel Of The Nile. Berger (cinematographer on White Ribbon and The Piano Teacher) and starring Marika Green a mobster on the mean streets of New York. Following Nile and as a director, DeVito had one darkly comic venture under his belt, Throw (Pickpocket). “Ray Liotta gives a thrillingly livewire and career-defining performance… Momma From the Train. Instead of attempting along with Lorraine Bracco, imperious and charismatic as Henry’s loyal, a third piece to the Romancing The Stone series, Hanna and Leo are expecting a child. They live near Innsbruck where the mountains touch the sky and mistreated wife… Goodfellas barrels along with unstoppable storytelling relish, its jukebox slams of pop music repeatedly convulsing the movie with DeVito opted to bring his friends together in this where absolute bliss seems to reign. sugar-rush excitement amounting almost to hysteria.” dark comedy about divorce featuring a legendary Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian violent battle between the sexes to close the film But things turn out quite differently: the birth is complicated and Hanna cannot even see her baby who is out. The film was a big success and many consider supposed to be sick. Hanna is suspicious of the doctors and decides to look for the baby on her own and Screening on glorious 35mm. We might even finds it... but it’s not a baby at all but an indescribable living something. She drastically breaks away from throw in a couple of old adverts knocking about the it the trio’s best outing of all. projection room. her settled life and leaves Leo. Her search leads her throughout the world to the North Sea. Increasingly Presented by Tim Burden and the Braid Film she exposes herself to the ‘accidents’ as well as possibilities of her life. In Hamburg she boards a ship – the And remember… “Never rat on your friends, and sea fascinates her. Finally, Hanna leans over the ship’s bow as far as she can – the water is flowing below her. always keep your mouth shut.” Theatre.

DIRECTED BY: CHRISTIAN BERGER. YEAR: 1989. DIRECTED BY: MARTIN SCORSESE. DIRECTED BY: DANNY DEVITO. COUNTRY: GERMANY. DURATION: 98MINS. CERT: 15. YEAR: 1990. COUNTRY: USA. DURATION: 146MINS. CERT: 18. YEAR: 1989. COUNTRY: USA. DURATION: 1HR 57MINS. CERT: 15+.

74 75 pickpocket QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE 1. saturday 4TH APRIL. 9.00PM. £6.50/£4

We are delighted to welcome Marika Green, star of Bresson’s classic film, to Belfast Film Festival. Marika will introduce the film.

This incomparable story of crime and redemption from the French master Robert Bresson follows Michel, a young pickpocket who spends his days working the streets, subway cars, and train stations of Paris.

As his compulsive pursuit of the thrill of stealing grows, however, so does his fear that his luck is about to run out. A cornerstone of the career of this most economical and profoundly spiritual of filmmakers, Pickpocket is an elegantly crafted, tautly choreographed study of humanity in all its mischief and grace, the work of a director at the height of his powers.

Bresson always tells his story obliquely, so he never lets narrative suspense build, or emotional intensity be foregrounded... In short, a masterpiece. The List

Pickpocket is an intricately staged, truly intimate character study from the imitable Robert Bresson instantly solidifying itself as one of his greatest works. Film Inquiry

DIRECTED BY: ROBERT BRESSON. YEAR: 1959. 65 Dock Street Belfast. BT151LF. 028 9064 3974 COUNTRY: FRANCE. DURATION: 76MINS. CERT: PG. www.americanbarbelfast.com

76 77

Untitled-6 1 08/05/2019 14:41 TOUCH BASE BY MORETTI

MORETTI - ITALIAN FOR WHAT MATTERS 78 79

76979_BIR_ADVERT_PORTRAIT.indd 1 30/03/2017 12:12 ni independent

A Bend In The River odeon, victoria square. sunday 5TH APRIL. 6.45PM. £6.50/£4

A writer returns home to Ireland, after spending twenty- five years in New York, to confront the ghosts of his past. To make sense of the Northern Ireland he remembers as a child, in comparison with the place he finds it upon his return, still minus a united Ireland.

A Bend in the River is director Colin Broderick’s second feature movie and his first movie shot entirely in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland where he grew up during the Troubles. The movie is an exploration of identity at a crucial time in Northern Irish politics, at a time when we are once again being forced to reconsider the notion of what it means to be Irish. The semi-autobiographical story follows struggling writer Matt (John Duddy), who returns home from New York to Northern Ireland for the first time in 25 years. It’s time for Matt to finally face the ghosts of his past: Katie (Kathy Kiera Clarke –Derry Girls/ Bloody Sunday), an abusive teacher (Pat Laffan –Father Ted/The Snapper), his brother (John Mc Connell) and his childhood friends Declan (Brendan Broderick) and Paudie (John Connors – Cardboard Gangsters/ Love Hate), who sacrificed an easier life to stay at home and fight during the Troubles. Matt has a new book to write, but it’s not going to be easy coming to terms with years of sectarian strife with a gun to his head. Introducing Nicola Boyle to our screens as the local troublemaker.

DIRECTED BY: COLIN BRODERICK. PRODUCED BY: JULIE RYAN. COMPANY: MK1 STUDIOS. YEAR: 2020. DURATION: 82MINS. COUNTRY: NORTHERN IRELAND. CERT: 15.

80 81 THE AGENT Spin-Off To See A Lighthouse Welcome to beanbag cinema.saturday 4TH APRIL. 2.00PM. £6.50/£4 strand arts centre. wednesday 1st APRIL. 6.15PM. £6.50/£4 beanbag cinema. sunday 5TH APRIL. 3.00PM. £6.50/£4 Northern Ireland strand arts centre. sunday 5TH APRIL. 6.15PM. £6.50/£4

The Agent is a fantasy film noir about Celebrating 10 years of film-making, A man steals his deceased friend’s A down-on-his-luck expat returns to how the joy of the Holidays might just the Skyway Club screen their first laptop and starts to explore Northern Ireland after many years be what we all need to make the world feature film. its contents. So begins a poetic away. Upon arrival he is struck by a better place. meditation on the meaning of the prosperity and throngs of tourists Guided by signs, Geraldine has a friendship, loss, mourning and he sees. Filled with optimism and The film follows Max, an agent of the National simple goal: to get to Berlin. But humanity in the digital age. with the help of some public funding Security Agency sent on a mission to find an things are never easy when living administered through a local business underground substance known as “Santa” which is with additional needs. She rebels Music, images, video and text, all digital traces of a man and evangelist, he embarks on threatening the joyless world of 2099. In a race against against the limitations of her daily life once lived. One image stands out in particular: becoming a tour guide. time, Max must find “Santa” and destroy it. However routine and lands an opportunity to a corrupted file that can’t be opened.To See A Max has a much more personal reason for finding the Special Olympics World Games. Lighthouse is an innovative and experimental Meanwhile he juggles a relationship with a woman “Santa”: saving his dying wife, Claire. All she needs now is to find a sport! short, comprising elements of drama, arthouse and whose job it is to accompany those seeking abortion ‘screen cap’ genre. to England. He slowly realises that everything comes Underfunded, unsupported (and unfit), the Skyway at a cost and there are difficult decisions to be made Club rally together to unleash talents they didn’t Will McConnell (b. 1983, Northern Ireland) about living in Northern Ireland. even know they had, and find a perfect match in is a filmmaker and visual artist working in table-tennis! With the help of an offbeat coach, can documentary, music video and commercials since they beat the odds and be the best? 2007.

By keeping the humour rooted in the performances, the Skyway Club manage to create a refreshing film, with a social commentary about friendship, community and an Olympic challenge.

It’s like the Karate Kid but with balls.

DIRECTED BY: MARIE-NOELLE MARQUIS. PRODUCED BY: MAEVE MONTGOMERY, CONOR HAMILL. COUNTRY: NORTHERN IRELAND. DIRECTED BY: MICHAEL MCNULTY. YEAR: 2020. FILMED IN: BANGOR, DIRECTED BY: WILL MCCONNELL. YEAR: 2020. DIRECTED BY: MICHAEL MCBROOM. YEAR: 2020. YEAR: 2020. DURATION: 30MINS. CERT: PG. BELFAST, BERLIN. DURATION: 93MINS. CERT: PG. COUNTRY: NORTHERN IRELAND. DURATION: 30MINS. CERT: PG. COUNTRY: NORTHERN IRELAND. DURATION: 90MINS. CERT: PG.

82 83 SHORTS COMPETITION PROGRAMME 1 SHORT FILM COMPETITION SATURDAY 4TH APRIL . 10AM-11.30AM QFT 1 . £6.50 Supported By Queen’s Film Theatre CHESTNUTS WISHBONE

A punk relationship runs A daring and frank its course in this Frank depiction of dysfunctional Sidebottom-esque creative friendship, this film uses and surreal comedy. an artistic, documentary style to explore how eating Duration: 12mins disorders cloud the lives of Director: Tom Lenihan sufferers.

Duration: 12mins Director: Myrid Carten

A WHITE HORSE

Historical homophobic MATCH The competition is back! Supporting the local film industry has been a festival tradition from mistreatment of queer people is handled with care the very beginning, and in this 20th anniversary year we have another incredible line-up of in this drama. A young A sensitive look at online emerging talent. To be eligible for competition, films have to include a Northern Irish or Irish woman’s struggle illustrates hook-ups, this film uses director, producer, writer or other strong connection to Ireland, north or south. abuse by the state, family strong central performances and religion. to touch upon lesser heard stories of single living and NOTE: The films in this programme are not certified and have been given a recommended age guidance. If Duration: 11mins human connection. you are under 18 or are booking for someone under 18 you MUST contact us on 028 9032 5913 in advance to Director: Shaun O’Connor discuss. Duration: 12mins Directors: Laura O Shea & Tony Doyle SHORTS COMPETITION JUDGES FARMLAND network. She works with a range of film exhibitors across NI to When three sisters are develop and enhance over-looked in favour of their audience their brother, tensions reach engagement. She also produced The Curzon boiling point in this stylish Project documentary, rural comedy. and is on the board of the NI Science Festival Duration: 13mins Sarah Edge is Sara Gunn Smith and Belfast Media Cian Smyth has 20 Director: Niamh McKeown a Professor of Sara joined Film Festival. years’ experience Photography and Hub NI in 2014 working in the arts Cultural Studies at as Marketing and and film sectors Ulster University, Audiences Officer, through which he where she lectures in where she develops has worked with NI feminist film theory and delivers initiatives Screen, the UK Film and production and to increase and Council and ACNI. He the history, theory diversify audiences was a Producer at Hull and practice of for independent film. UK City of Culture photography. These include the 2017, an Artistic yearly Cinema Day Advisor to 1418Now celebration, and the and Chairperson of Collective touring Outburst Arts. 84 85 SHORTS COMPETITION PROGRAMME 2 SHORTS COMPETITION PROGRAMME 3 SATURDAY 4TH APRIL. 12.00pm to 1.30pm. QFT 1 . £6.50 SATURDAY 4TH APRIL. 2.00pm-3.30pm. QFT 1. £6.50

REPETITION HALO ROUGH THE SILVER LINING

A cleverly abstract rendition Verging on the thriller genre, A seriously dark comedy A boy has his heart set on of the modern world this one-shot film follows a about a group of hard-men a second-hand trumpet in evoking a science fiction lonely taxi driver as he takes Loyalists taking justice into this lovingly made, aesthetic. Familiar settings a passenger’s private life their own hands. When the nostalgic look at music, become vast and infinite in into his own hands. leader’s cat is found dead, childhood and the passing this imaginative work. someone has to pay. of time. Duration: 17mins Starring Michael Smiley. Duration: 6mins Director: Michael David Duration: 16mins Director: Kevin McGloughlin McKernon Duration: 17mins Director: Denis McArdle Directors: Adam Patterson & Declan Lawn

CIÚNAS (SILENCE) STARRY NIGHT

A family negotiate difficult With strong use of aspects of mental health in colour and naturalistic LEAVE THE ROAD BEHIND YOU this touching Irish language performances, this film drama. follows a young woman KELLY This emotionally charged as she prepares to leave drama follows life in rural Duration: 13mins her life behind and pursue A young trans woman Gaeltacht Donegal, where Director: Tristan Heanue her dream of studying in returns to her family entertainment for young London. home where she patiently people is limited, and cars confronts transphobia and mean more than just getting Duration: 14mins loss while reconnecting from A to B. Director: Emma Smith with her past. THE SHIFT Duration: 16mins Duration: 13mins Director: Daniel Butler A sweet and funny teenage Director: Solène Guichard comedy about one girl’s quest for her ultimate goal, ‘the shift’.

Duration: 13mins Director: Megan K Fox

86 87 OFFICIAL SELECTION SHORTS INTERNATIONAL SHORTS SATURDAY 4TH APRIL . 4.00PM TO 6.00PM. QFT 1 . £6.50 SATURDAY 4TH APRIL. 8.30pm-10.00pm. QFT 2 . £6.50

This year the festival introduces a new category of high quality short film from across Ireland. Short film has been a highlight of the festival calendar since its inception. This year, for the These are from filmmakers we feel have exceptional potential to enrich film culture in first time, the programme includes a small number of international short films. This eclectic Northern Ireland and beyond. selection celebrates the diversity of style, form and subject matter being explored by short filmmakers all over the world. An innovative medium, short form allows filmmakers to THE SPACE BETWEEN US THE APPOINTMENT break new ground and discover their stylistic talents, while contributing to a category that continues to grow in popularity with audiences worldwide. The big picture Art and the everyday slowly unfolds in this coexist in this mother and concise, warm drama son drama. A man juggles TX-REVERSE ALL THE TRIMMINGS on communication, pressure at work and a An art film originally conceived This touching, realist piece bereavement and family. commitment to his ailing as an installation piece, this focuses on a family struggling to Duration: 9mins mother. work is perfectly placed in a make ends meet over Christmas. Director: Elaine Kennedy Duration: 17mins cinema setting. Filmed inside Well-crafted with a tension that Director: David Moody Berlin’s well-known Babylon arthouse cinema, it truly builds throughout, this is an expands the frame of theatrical expertly paced short film from a THE BUTTERFLY LOVE SONG space. filmmaker on the rise. PILLS Duration: 5mins Duration: 17mins Directors: Martin Reinhart, Scripted by Seamus Scanlon Director: Thomas Edwards Virgil Widrich Country: UK and based on his award- The right to choose is Country: Austria, Germany Year: 2019 winning short story, this highlighted in this mother Year: 2019 sweet and funny film has and daughter drama. a low-fi sensibility and Made before last year’s law FIVE LETTERS TO THE talented youth cast. change, the film follows a ANNA STRANGER WHO WILL DISSECT Duration: 14mins woman whose daughter has Middle-aged meat factory MY BRAIN Director: Luke Morgan a crisis pregnancy. worker, Anna, looks for Intelligent visual storytelling Duration: 14mins excitement in this Palme d’Or Director: Lisa Keogh nominated short film set in that combines narrative drama Ukraine. When a radio station with expressive modern dance THE MAN IN THE BATH advertises a service that sequences, this is an innovative introduces women to foreign and poetic work. A medical men, Anna takes a chance. MY FAVOURITE PAUL student feels an existential A rough sleeper finds respite Duration: 15mins in a risky situation in this Director: Dekel Berenson connection to the woman whose intimate and tense drama. A talented ensemble cast Country: Ukraine, Israel, UK donated body she will learn Duration: 14mins strengthens this comedy- Year: 2019 from. Director: Elsa Hunter-Weston drama. A man struggles with Duration: 25mins the pitfalls of after-work Director: Oonagh Kearney drinking. MENSCH MACHINE OR PUTTING Country: Ireland Duration: 14mins PARTS TOGETHER Year: 2019 ROSALYN Director: Rebekah Davis Witty and thought-provoking, this essayistic short combines This dark, genre-blurring archive visuals with classic and atmospheric film is synth music in an amusingly an unnerving portrayal academic exploration of gender of pregnancy and rural normativity and technology. isolation. Duration: 8mins Director: Adina Camhy Duration: 18mins Country: Austria Director: Olivia J Middleton Year: 2019

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GCH Observatory_A5_FP_AW.indd 1 19/02/2020 10:25 HAS GC-EUR_Entertainment_FP_AW.indd 1 27/02/2019 12:32 FESTIVAL CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY APRIL 1ST

TRIBECA (STEVE BAKER) PAGE 43 2PM QFT AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 51 3PM QFT PERFECT 10 PAGE 20 5PM QFT SPIN-OFF PAGE 82 6.15PM THE STRAND VHYES PAGE 66 6.30PM BEANBAG CINEMA THE LONG NOTE PAGE 14 7PM CRESCENT ARTS OUR LADIES PAGE 8 7PM ODEON INITIALS SG PAGE 20 7PM QFT THE CLUB PAGE 66 7.30PM ULSTER SPORTS CLUB

THURSDAY APRIL 2ND

AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 50 3PM QFT FLASH GORDON AT 40 PAGE 71 5PM QFT SHADOWS ON OUR SKIN PAGE 64 6.30PM BEANBAG CINEMA WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE PAGE 31 6.45PM ODEON AXONE PAGE 28 7PM ODYSSEY CINEMA LUCKY GRANDMA PAGE 17 7.20PM QFT SPACED NIGHT PAGE 67 7.30PM THE BLACK BOX FOOTLOOSE PAGE 53 8PM TITANIC BALLROOM UNCLE PAGE 25 9PM BEANBAG CINEMA

FRIDAY APRIL 3RD

WOMEN MAKE FILM PAGE 13 11AM QFT AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 51 3PM QFT VR FILMS FROM AFRICA PAGE 52 4PM QFT SISTER PAGE 23 4PM QFT BROKEN LAW PAGE 27 6.20PM QFT THE WANDERING EARTH PAGE 35 6.45PM ODEON DAY OF THE WACKO PAGE 70 7PM BEANBAG CINEMA CAT FILM FEST PAGE 55 7.30PM THE BLACK BOX MICHAEL SMILEY Q&A PAGE 39 7.30PM CRESCENT ARTS SAY AMEN SOMEBODY PAGE 49 8PM ROSEMARY ST. CHURCH PATRICK PAGE 28 8.40PM QFT EMA PAGE 26 9PM QFT LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT PAGE 72 9PM BEANBAG CINEMA

Supporting Belfast Film Festival since Puss was a Cat

92 MONDAY APRIL 15TH 93 SATURDAY APRIL 4TH ROCKS PAGE 22 9PM QFT DEAD DICKS PAGE 34 9PM BEANBAG CINEMA SHORTS COMPETITION PROG. 1 PAGE 85 10AM QFT SHORTS COMPETITION PROG. 2 PAGE 86 12PM QFT TUESDAY APRIL 7TH SHORTS COMPETITION PROG. 3 PAGE 87 2PM QFT WOMEN MAKE FILM PAGE 13 11AM QFT AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 51 3PM QFT CHRISTIAN BERGER PAGE 40 1PM CRESCENT ARTS VR FILMS FROM AFRICA PAGE 52 4PM QFT THE AGENT PAGE 82 2PM BEANBAG CINEMA THE RED BALLOON PAGE 50 3PM THE MAC AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 51 3PM QFT RIALTO PAGE 21 6PM QFT VR FILMS FROM AFRICA PAGE 52 4PM QFT AARACHT PAGE 16 6.45PM ODEON HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA PAGE 54 3PM HMS CAROLINE THE LONG NOTE PAGE 14 7PM BEANBAG CINEMA THE CRY PAGE 64 4PM BEANBAG CINEMA THE RED BALLOON PAGE 50 7PM THE MAC OFFICIAL SELECTION SHORTS PAGE 88 4PM QFT JEREMY THOMAS PAGE 45 7.30PM CRESECNT ARTS MAD MAX: FURY ROAD PAGE 56 6PM SONIC ARTS REFRAMING STREISAND: THE OCCASIONAL MAN PAGE 57 6PM UTV STUDIOS FUNNY GIRL PAGE 69 7.30PM THE BLACK BOX SCHEMERS PAGE 25 6.20PM QFT GOODFELLAS ON 35MM PAGE 74 8.15PM THE STRAND THE WAR OF THE ROSES PAGE 74 7PM BEANBAG CINEMA JALLIKATTU PAGE 37 8.40PM QFT WHISKY GALORE! PAGE 54 7PM HMS CAROLINE KILER PAGE 70 9PM BEANBAG CINEMA THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND PROXIMA PAGE 21 9PM QFT ULSTER ORCHESTRA PAGE 56 7.45PM WATERFRONT HALL NEVER FORGET: COLIN MCKEOWN PAGE 43 8PM CRESCENT ARTS WEDNESDAY APRIL 8TH INTERNATIONAL SHORTS PAGE 89 8.30PM QFT PICKPOCKET PAGE 76 9PM QFT AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 51 3PM QFT SUNDAY APRIL 5TH VR FILMS FROM AFRICA PAGE 52 4PM QFT PAKEEZAH PAGE 72 3.30PM QFT ROSE PLAYS JULIE PAGE 22 6.30PM QFT WOMEN MAKE FILM PAGE 13 11AM QFT ZOMBIES FOR SALE PAGE 36 6.45PM ODEON BFF QUIZ PAGE 57 1PM THE BLACK BOX THE BAD SISTER PAGE 65 7PM BEANBAG CINEMA AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 51 3PM QFT JOHN LLOYD PAGE 61 7PM CRESECNT ARTS VR FILMS FROM AFRICA PAGE 52 4PM QFT LESLEY MANVILLE PAGE 44 8PM THE MAC TO SEE A LIGHTHOUSE PAGE 83 3PM BEANBAG CINEMA FATAL DEVIATION PAGE 33 8PM THE BLACK BOX I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING PAGE 46 3.30PM QFT IRIS IN THE TRAFFIC... PAGE 63 8.30PM QFT MIAMI VICE/MAGNUM PI PAGE 65 5PM BEANBAG CINEMA ABOUT ENDLESSNESS PAGE 19 9PM QFT ADAM PAGE 18 6PM QFT THE TIED UP BALLOON PAGE 73 9PM BEANBAG CINEMA WELCOME TO NORTHERN IRELAND PAGE 83 6.15PM THE STRAND A BEND IN THE RIVER PAGE 81 6.45PM ODEON THURSDAY APRIL 9TH KIM NEWMAN IN CONVERSATION PAGE 41 7PM CRESCENT ARTS JESUS SHOWS YOU THE WAY COUNTY LINES PAGE 24 2PM QFT TO THE HIGHWAY PAGE 35 8PM BEANBAG CINEMA AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 51 3PM QFT HANNA MONSTER, DARLING PAGE 75 8.30PM QFT VR FILMS FROM AFRICA PAGE 52 4PM QFT BLOW THE MAN DOWN PAGE 19 9PM QFT THE BEARS’ FAMOUS MONDAY APRIL 6TH INVASION OF SICILY PAGE 29 3.30PM QFT PANELSTORY PAGE 73 6.30PM BEANBAG CINEMA FAMILY ROMANCE LLC PAGE 27 6.45PM QFT AFRICAN GAZE PAGE 51 3PM QFT SEA FEVER PAGE 32 6.45PM ODEON VR FILMS FROM AFRICA PAGE 52 4PM QFT BLACK MEDICINE PAGE 9 7PM ODEON WHITE SNAKE PAGE 29 3.50PM QFT BANNED IN BELFAST PAGE 42 7PM CRESCENT ARTS THE OTHER LAMB PAGE 15 6PM QFT THE SHAPES BETWEEN US PAGE 59 7PM ULSTER SPORTS CLUB GETTING TO KNOW THE BIG TOM WAITS ON SCREEN PAGE 58 8PM THE BLACK BOX WIDE WORLD PAGE 71 7PM BEANBAG CINEMA THE COUNTY PAGE 23 8.15PM THE STRAND CINEPUNKED’S OFFENSIVE THE WHISTLERS PAGE 24 8.40PM QFT COMEDY KITTEN PAGE 42 7PM CRESCENT ARTS SAVAGE PAGE 26 9.15PM QFT FILM DEVOUR SHORT FILM FESTIVAL NO.25 PAGE 55 7PM THE BLACK BOX DEERSKIN PAGE 34 8.40PM QFT 94 95 www.belfastfilmfestival.org

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